Aquila
by odstpilot
Summary: Summary: After surviving the Continential war, Yellow 13 flees to Osea for a new life. 5 years of peace go by, only to find himself dragged into the chaos of war yet again.
1. Chapter 1

Ch 1

_Farbanti, Erusea_

_5 years ago_

The missile alert system wouldn't shut up. I twisted and turned my head around, seeing the Ribbon as we continued our deadly duel. I was the last of yellow squadron, and i was going to make this pilot earn his victory.

"Come on, Mr. Ribbon. One final dance." I said. I accelerated away from the Raptor, and violently jinked away from a missile he fired. I pointed my nose back at him, and closed in with a flurry of weapons fire, firing a missile followed by non-stop machine gun fire. I clenched my left hand into a fist as i saw him take damage, though i knew it wouldn't change the outcome.

"Low on missiles. Squadron is KIA. To the bitter end." I said, recording my last actions of the war. I dove towards the city, sweat slowly pouring down my face. The Ribbon followed me, very determined to take me down. I couldn't help but thank my teacher, Mihaly Shilage, for teaching me about close quarters fighting.

"Whoever taught you must have been a genius." my rival said, his voice crackling thru the radio.

"Look him up after the war, Mihaly A. Shilage. Also, get closer!" I said, growling the last part. I closed the distance and fired more bullets, racking his plane with bullet holes.

"Not bad." the Ribbon said, as he trailed me and fired a missile. I pulled up to the left and barrel rolled my Terminator, hoping to tank the missile. The missile missed me, and i tightly turned into my rival.

"Watch your opponent carefully." I said, firing my last missile at the Ribbon. To my surprise, he shot the missile down with his guns. I pulled up to get away from him, but it was too late. The now familiar missile alert rang again. I cut power to the engines and sharply pulled into the missile, but it was of no use. The missile collided with my plane, rendering it null and void.

My head was knocked into the canopy, and i saw stars for a moment. My cockpit was flashing red, and I knew the end was near. With nothing to lose, I contacted my rival one final time.

"Mr. Ribbon, I don't know if you're aware of this. Some Erusean officers have escaped to the Meglith fortress, just off the coast of Erusea. They'll continue the war, and destroy the country I fought hard to protect. Please, you're the only one I know who can stop them." I said.

"Consider it done." he said, flying next to me.

"It was an honor to be fly with you, even as enemies. Yellow 13, signing out." I said, just before I pulled the ejection handle and was ejected out of the aircraft. I saw the pink handkerchief fly away from my g-suit, but i had more pressing concerns. I let myself fall to the city without the chute deployed.

"Now." I said, pulling the chute. I saw the ruined city of Farbanti coming close and closer. One thing went thru my mind before i touched down. _This is gonna suck._

The cracking noise upon touchdown told me that i must have damaged a bone or worse, a tendon/ligament. I couldn't worry about that now.

I had to escape the city and flee from Erusea. Pulling out my sidearm, I stuck to the back alleyways and made my way closer to the outskirts of the city. I came across bodies, recent casualties from the fighting. My heart sank when i saw civilians in the mix of dead soldiers.

"So, it's come to this." I said. I grabbed one of the dead bodies, a male around my size. With no-one around i changed clothes with the corps. Hopefully, I'd be long gone before anyone realized the deception.

"I'm sorry sir, but I have to do this." I said, dragging the body to the place I found it, now wearing the uniform and gear of an Erusean fighter pilot. I ran without looking back. Away from Erusea, from Yellow Squadron. From everything.

…

_Oured, Osea_

_Present day_

"Your name is Levi Kruger. You survived the Belkan war, fighting on the Western front. You'll be assigned as a flight instructor to Sand Island." the mysterious person said.

I detected a Belkan accent on him, but I didn't care. Anything to keep my flying at this point. I missed being in the cockpit of a plane, flying in the open skies.

"Thanks. I appreciate this." I said, shaking his hand.

"Good. Now teach those arrogant fools what air combat is really about." the man smirked. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. Would this man tell others my true identity? Or was he giving me an incentive to maintain my cover?

I flew towards Sand Island, sitting in the cockpit of an Su-27. I pulled out a note containing information about the island.

"Base commander is some fatass named Perrault. Second in command is Hamilton. The lead instructor is a Mr. Jack Bartlett. Veteran of the Belkan war, constantly gets in trouble with his superiors." I said, reading my notes.

One thing soured my mood. Bartlett was a war hero, having fought and survived the Belkan war. He should have been promoted way beyond captain. I thought it was because he'd rather command soldiers on the front lines, but the note about his disciplinary problems caught my eye. I worried that this was a base for rascals and undesirables; airmen that the Osean air-force decided to maroon and put aside.

"Just my luck. Sand Island, this is Captain Kruger, callsign Blaze. Request permission to land." I said.

Blaze? Well, i am a trailblazer of sorts, making a new life.

Upon landing my jet, i went to see the base commander. Boy, was i in for a surprise. Perrault looked like he was one sandwich away from a heart attack. But i didn't say anything. Instead, i began to regret ejecting from my stricken plane over Farbanti.

"Well, everything seems to be in order. So, the brass decided we needed another flight instructor. How cute." he sneered. I remember many officers in the Erusean air-force that were just like him, and I hated them. Oh, how i wanted to beat the living shit out of him. Instead, I settled for a seething desire to see him die of a heart attack.

"Yes. I don't know why they need another instructor, but here I am." I said, staring the base commander down. My little act of defiance miffed him a little, but he only shrugged his shoulders.

"Report to Captain Bartlett. He'll be in the squadron ready room. Dismissed." Perrault said.

"Sir." I said, saluting him. Perault didn't salute back, and i headed to my new quarters to put my stuff away. Afterwords, I went to the ready room, and saw the older captain.

"Captain Bartlett." I said, catching his attention.

"Ah. Captain Kruger. I was told brass would be sending another instructor. I was just reading your files. You've seen a lot of action over Belka. We could use another ace pilot around here." Bartlett said.

"I agree, sir. If you don't mind me asking, where are the nuggets?" I asked.

"They'll be here shortly. Besides, we have a member of the press corps here on base. Albert Genette. He'll be present in the briefing." Bartlett said.

I furrowed my eyebrows in response, wondering how lax Osea has become, allowing civilian journalists to attend military briefings.

"Speak of the devi." Bartlett said, as the pilots came in. I watched as they sat in the chairs that were strewn about. I also noticed a young man standing with his back pressed against the wall. He was observing everyone in the room. That must be Genette.

"Sorry for the short notice, but brass has sent us another flight instructor. Captain Levi Kruger." Bartlett said.

"Nice to meet you. Who's the best pilot here?" I asked.

"I'm guessing that would be you two." a loudmouth said. I raised my head, seeing a well-built man, easily a head taller than everyone else.

"What's your name, nugget?" I asked.

"Alvin H. Davenport. Everyone here calls me Chopper." he said.

"Chopper. Drop and give me ten." I said.

"Excuse me?" he asked.

I went over to him and looked down at him. I was about give him the Colonel Shilage treatment. He never shied away from dooling physical punishment if he felt the subordinates behavior warranted it. I pulled him out of the chair and slammed against the ground.

"Like i said, give me ten." I said in a calm voice that betrayed the emotions inside me.

Everyone looked at me as if i was a phsyco for doing that. But i didn't care. If the nuggets couldn't handle a little discipline, how would they handle combat?

"Wheel's up in 30. We'll be practicing ACM. I'll ask again. Who's the best pilot?" I asked.

"That would be me, sir." a young feminine voice said.

"Lt. Kei Nagase." I said, grabbing a clipboard and looked at her record.

I looked down at the asian woman. She had a petite figure, and looked soft and delicate. I was reminded of my late wingman, Yellow 4. I buried my emotions deep inside and spoke.

"We'll split up into groups of two. Nagase, you'll be paired with me. Chopper, you'll be paired with Bartlett. Everyone, pick whoever you want to choose. Dismissed." I said.

Everyone headed to their planes when Bartlett pulled me aside.

"Never thought I'd see anyone handle Chopper like that." he said.

"Does he have a record of disciplinary problems? I didn't take a good look at his sheet." I admitted.

"Nothing too bad. Just runs his mouth off. And at the worst time possible." Bartlett said.

"As long as it's off duty, i don't care. But when we're in the cockpit, that's when it matters." I said.

"Amen to that." Bartlett said.

"So, tell me about Nagase." I said, as we headed to our fighters.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch 2

We were ordered to head over the ocean, west of Sand Island. Nagase stayed next to my wing, waiting for the go-ahead.

"Bartlett, when are we going to start the exercise?" I asked.

"Hold on. Say that again, Sand Island base." Bartlett said.

I was a little ticked off at the delay. I could land back at Sand Island, grab some breakfast, and be back in time for the exercises to start. But it gave me a moment of peace.

"Give me a break. I'm baby-sitting nuggets up here." Bartlett exclaimed, before receiving new orders.

"Bad news. We're seeing unknown contacts heading towards us. Blaze, Svenson. On me. The three of us will go high and engage the bandits. All other aircraft, stay low and out of the fight." Bartlett said.

"Copy that. Lead the way, Captain." I said, arming my missles.

My radar chirped and i saw a dozen unknown contacts bearing down on us. Excluding the nuggets, we were outnumbered 4 to one. It was years since i flew into combat. I could only hope my skills didn't atrophy as badly as i feared.

Breaking thru the clouds, I saw 12 MiG-29s open fire on us.

"I'm hit!" one of the pilots screamed, as a missile tore his plane to pieces.

"Damn it!" I said, pulling up to engage the enemy. Getting a lock on, I pulled the trigger and watched as the missile blew the enemy plane to pieces.

"Splash one." I said, turning to find another enemy.

"Nice kill." Nagase said.

"Nagase, what are you doing?" Bartlett asked.

"Fighting to save the rest of the nuggets." she said, chasing a MiG and firing her guns.

"She's too chaotic." I said, diving down to help her. Arming my guns, I fired a burst of gunfire towards the MiG, forcing him to break away.

"Captain, behind you!" Nagase shouted.

"Leave him to me!" I ordered, accelerating away from the predator. He chased me for a few seconds, only for me to turn the tables on him. I pulled the stick in my gut, performing a perfect Cobra.

"Cotcha." I said, firing another missile up his tailpipe.

The MiG blew up in front of me. Looks like my skills were still sharp.

"Mayday! There's a bandit on my six!" Chopper shouted.

I dove down to relieve my squadmate, ignoring Bartlett's orders to stay in formation.

"Not again. Not again." I muttered to myself. I lost Yellow Squadron, i wasn't going to let these nuggets die in front of me.

"Chopper, I'm on the enemy's six. How copy, over." I said.

"In a pickle, captain! If you can take care of him." Chopper said, fleeing from the enemy MiG. I armed my missiles, but decided against pulling the trigger. The heat-seeking warhead might go after Chopper. Switching to guns, I fired a burst of gunfire at the MiG and watched as he fled with a damaged engine.

"No." I growled, narrowing my eyes. He almost killed my wingman. If i let him go, he'll come back and finish the job.

"Captain, he's retreating." Bartlett said.

"Fox 2." I said, firing a missile at the fleeing MiG and watched as he blew into pieces.

"All pilots, the unknowns have broken away. RTB." the air traffic controller said.

"Thank god. Bartlett, how many did we lose?" I asked.

"It's just the four of us." Bartlett said, as he, Chopper, and Nagase flew in formation with me.

I couldn't respond, trying to digest the numbers. We started out with 10 planes. Only four made it back. Over 50% casualties. What a miserable screw-up.

_'He's on my tail!'_

_'Yellow 4, break!'_

The memory crept up again, only for me to suppress it again. I had gotten real good at suppressing bad memories from the war. With no time to reminisce, we landed back at the base.

"Sorry about this." Bartlett said to Gennette as he trailed behind the two instructors.

"Did you see that girl fight back?" Gennette asked.

"I couldn't stand to watch." Bartlett said.

"Nagase, you keep flying like that you'll die real soon." Bartlett said.

"I won't die, sir." Nagase calmly said.

"You sure, you look like you couldn't hurt a fly." Bartlett sneered as he walked away.

I walked towards her and eyed her. Despite having a brush with death, she was standing on her two feet. Though i noticed her hands were shaking.

"You did good, soldier. Next time, follow our goddamn orders. Me or Bartlett won't be around to save your ass next time." I coldly said.

Nagase looked at the newest flight instructor as he headed to his plane, most likely to check it for damage. It was funny. He praises her for fighting, only to chew her ass out for disobeying orders.

"So, how was the fighting?" the mechanic, Pops, asked.

"Not something I want to experience again. Made it back, so that's something to be grateful for." I said, turning a wrench.

"One thing does give me concern." Pops said.

"What's that?" I asked, switching the wrench out for a ratchet.

"Those were MiG-29 Fulcrums. Short range fighters. The only way they could have come here, was via tankers or an aircraft carrier. They weren't lost, considering how far we are from Yuktobania." Pops said.

"Could have been a recon flight." I said.

"We haven't had any intrusions here before. If they wanted to do recon, they should have sent recon planes or long-range bombers, like a Tu-95 or B-1." Pops said.

It didn't take long for me to realize what Pop's was saying.

"They came here to fight. As a vanguard to test our defenses." I said. I had plenty of experience with that. Yellow squadron was sent out many times to escort bombers or recon planes to observe ISAF territory before the outbreak of the war.

"Right on the money. God help us all if war breaks out." Pops grimly said.

Entering the rec room, I grabbed a soda noticing Nagase reading a book. She noticed me and stood up to salute, but I waved her off.

"At ease, Nagase. What are you reading?" I asked.

"A blue dove for the princess. Heard of the Razgriz?" she asked.

"Oh yeah. That story about a demon." I said.

"That's the one. Mind if i ask you some questions?" she asked.

I nodded my head, and listened. She asked how I was able to fly like I did. I had the same question she had. I was afraid my skills had atrophied since the Usean war, but I was still going strong. Now came the hard part. Convincing my fellow pilots that I had fought in the Belkan war. I had plenty of information regarding the war, and experience as the leader of Yellow squadron. But it was all held together by loose ends.

"It's been 15 years. And our armed forces has shrunk since the Belkan war, and you factor in budget cuts. We're not getting as many hours of flying as other countries are, such as Emmeria or Yuktobania." Nagase said.

That explained a lot. Erusea always made sure its pilots had plenty of hours. If they couldn't get it inside the cockpit of an expensive fighter jet, than they trained in cessna prop planes. Though i suspected that didn't help with the economy; the main reason we tried to take over the Usean continent.

Still, i couldn't help but wonder if this accelerated demilitarization was a good thing. There was the Belkan war, the Ulyssys asteroid crisis, the continental war, and now the Estovakian civil war. With the world on the brink of chaos and non-stop war, i strongly felt that Osea was committing suicide. And they picked the worst time to do so. If me and Pop's theory was correct, than we were heading into another war. One Osea may lose.

"To tell you the truth, Nagase, i am surprised as much as you are. I honestly expected my skills to atrophy worse than they already have. But having the right aircraft helps. My Su-27 is far superior to anything else on base right now. Though, those Fulcrums gave me a good run." I said.

"Captain Bartlett made it back." Nagase replied.

"That is true. Here's some advice. Find a target, you get in close behind him, take him out, and keep moving." I said.

"It's good advice." she said.

"Kept me alive. The Belkans were tough, proud, and professional." I said.

"I can't believe you're standing up for them." Nagase said, aghast with shock.

"Don't get me wrong. They did plenty wrong, starting multiple wars with Osea, though I suspect Osea helped a lot to start the last war." I said.

"Well, thanks for being up their. I hope tomorrow is better than today." Nagase said. The door opened, and we saw Chopper coming in.

"Nice to see you two." Chopper said, sitting down and opened a can of Cola.

"Nice to see you, Lt Davenport. How are you holding up?" I asked.

"I'm holding up good. Talk about training exercise." Chopper said.

"You got lucky. But that reminds me of something. My flight instructor taught me some air combat moves that would dissipate damage from an enemy missile. I'll teach you guys about it." I said.

"Thanks, captain." Nagase said.

"I doubt you two are willing to go up their after today's encounter. We'll start tomorrow. In the meantime, I need to talk to Bartlett and Hamilton." I said standing up.

When I was out of sight, I let out a low growl and clenched my fist in annoyance. I couldn't get close to this new squadron. Nagase reminded me too much of Yellow 4. They even had similar body frames. I entered Hamilton's office, saluting him.

"At ease, Captain. You mind telling me your point of view?" he asked.

"Simple. I followed Bartlett and Svenson to engage the enemy MiGs. I took down three, might have damaged a fourth." I answered.

"Thanks for the report, captain." Hamilton said.

"That's all?" I asked.

"That's all. Just so you know, today never happened. You did not engage those MiGs, and you did not kill three enemy pilots. Understood?" Hamilton asked.

"Understood." I said.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch 3

Nagase observed the two flight instructors in front of the squadron; what was left of them. Bartlett lay back in his chair, gathering his thoughts. Kruger, on the other hand was standing up with his arms folded across his chest. His eyes ran across the few pilots still alive as if he were selecting targets.

"I know you don't like this, but we're short on people. Starting tomorrow, all you nuggets are going to be sitting alert. If we launch, stay glued to me and Kruger. Nagase! You're flying number two on my wing. Gotta keep an eye on you or who knows what you'll get yourself into." Bartlett said.

With the order given, everyone headed to rest for tomorrow's sortie. I headed back to my quarters and collapsed on the bed.

"Shit. Another fucking war." I muttered to myself.

_'Yellow 4, get out of there!'_

_A girl looked up, seeing an Erusean fighter pilot shouting at her from a distance. Both of them looked up upon hearing the roar of jet engines, seeing an F-15 with a ribbon emblem on it. The Eagle dropped napalm bombs, engulfing her in flames._

I woke up screaming, tossing the bedsheets aside. The door opened, and a guard came in.

"Sir, you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine, private. Just a nightmare." I said.

The soldier left, leaving me to my thoughts. I attempted to sleep, but sleep all but eluded me. Next morning came, and I followed everyone else to the briefing room.

"Another aircraft of unknown origin has entered Osean Federation airspace. We have confirmed the target type as a strategic recon plane flying at very high altitude." the briefer said.

_'So, it's a spy plane. Most likely a U-2 or an SR-71. Just say it's a fucking spy plane! Jesus, when i was with Yellow Squadron, our briefer would say 'hey, there's a spy plane above us. Go kill it.' God, this reeks of bullshit.'_

I watched as the briefer continued to inform us pilots, telling us that the unknown was damaged by a SAM site, and we were supposed to bring it down.

"Do not fire upon this aircraft until further orders are transmitted."

I clenched my fists in anger. We were already attacked by a squadron of MiGs, and now this. As far as I was concerned, this was a hostile act. The fighters tested our defenses, and went back to base missing three planes. Now they send a spy plane to observe our defenses. This was part of a bigger plan.

I entered the hanger, drinking a large cup of coffee. I needed a quick pick me up today.

"You okay, captain?" Pops asked.

"Just a nightmare. Being back here, it's bringing me memories from Belka." I said, not noticing Pop's wince.

"I'm sure it'll pass. Get up there. The squad's waiting for you." he said.

Taking a deep breath, I followed the rest of the nuggets to the tarmac and watched as they took off one by one.

"Blaze, you're cleared to go."

"Copy that. Taking off." I said. Applying max power, i was in the air in no time and took the rear position.

"This is Heartbreak One of Wardog squadron. We're approaching the target." Bartlett said.

"This is AWACs, callsign Thunderhead. Bring the target to the ground. Do not fire at the target. Repeat, do not fire at the target."

"You got that nuggets?" Bartlett asked.

"Loud and clear, Heartbreak One." I said, vouching for Chopper and Nagase.

"Good. Follow me." Bartlett said.

Yawing to the right, I saw our spy plane, an SR-71 blackbird. I wondered how did a SAM site even hit the bird. Then again, it's a miracle Osea still had defenses like this. I heard all about the budget cuts, and how controversial they were.

"Don't fire until I say so." Bartlett said.

I considered those orders to be a death sentence. If i was in charge of the recon flight, I would have turned around and slaughtered the fools approaching to apprehend me. I entertained the thought of damaging one of the engines, or firing a missile past their canopy. Talking wasn't going to work.

"This doesn't feel right." I said.

"Oh, and how's that?" Chopper asked.

"If this guy has escorts, we're in the perfect spot to be ambushed. Heartbreak One, I'm gonna peel off and search for his escorts." I said.

"Go ahead, Blaze. We can handle it here." Bartlett said. With his permission, I sharply peeled away and extended my radar to its full range searching for the escorts I was sure existed. Though I wouldn't mind if I was just paranoid. I hoped it was the latter.

_Shit._

My radar chirped, showing 4 bandits heading towards me. Guess not. Crossing the envelope, I settled at the rear of the flight and observed the enemy fighters.

"MiG 21s. Who the hell uses them anymore?" I wondered. Their were only two countries that used them in large quantities. Yuktobania, and Estovakia. I've heard that when the Yukes go on the offensive they throw everything, including the kitchen sink, at their opponents.

"What the, they're firing at us!" Chopper exclaimed. I snapped fully awake, seeing the MiGs firing at my squadron. Switching to guns, I shredded the closest plane to pieces and forced the remaining planes to scatter.

"Wardog, weapons safe!" Thunderhead said.

Chopper voiced my frustrations clearly. "They're not firing blanks at us!"

"Shut it and shoot back!" Bartlett ordered.

I was more than happy to ignore Thunderhead's order to safe our weapons, and took down another enemy with a missile strike.

"Thanks, Captain." Chopper said.

"Keep your head on a swivel, and don't fly in a straight line." I advised, as i pursued the last MiG, only for Nagase to take it down.

"Good shooting, Nagase." I said.

"Thank you, sir." she said.

Another flight of MiGs appeared, in a four-plane formation. I charged towards them, guns firing.

"Captain, wait!" Nagase exclaimed, seeing me tangle with the enemy MiGs. They picked a fight with the wrong man. Seeing a MiG, I pulled my nose to align with the target, and fired another missile. With that target out of the way, I selected another MiG and tore it to pieces with my guns.

"Edge, engaging!" Nagase said, chasing after a MiG I forgot to keep track off. Following Nagase, I was about to intervene and claim the kill but thought otherwise. Lets see what Nagase is capable of.

The MiG attempted to flee, only for Nagase to gun him down.

"Edge, stick with me." I said, observing yet another flight of MiGs approaching. With Chopper and Bartlett nowhere close enough, I took the lead and punched right thru the enemy planes.

"Fox 2." I said, firing another missile and destroyed one MiG, leaving three left. One of the MiGs turned inside to go after me. I grinned and entered the duel. This MiG pilot favored a knife fight, sharply turning into me.

"You're quite the pilot. Too bad i have to put you down." I said, accelerating upward. Rolling the plane upside down, i pulled the stick into my gut and dove down towards my enemy, only to see him turn into me.

"So, it's going to be like this." I said, continuing my yo-yo maneuver against the maneuvering MiG.

"Fox 2!" Nagase said, firing a missile. My missile warning went nuts.

"Oh shit." I said, sharply pulling up to avoid the missile. Said missile ignored me and killed the MiG.

"First Nagase, great shooting. Second, don't do that again." I said, yanking my oxygen mask off to breath in fresh air.

"Sorry, Captain." Nagase said, as we flew in formation, joined by Chopper and Bartlett.

"All enemy planes shot down. Wardog squadron, return to base." Bartlett said.

Looking back, i saw clear skies. It seemed that our little war never happened. With our planes secured in the hanger, I took the time to observe mine for damage. Yellow 4 was killed because of a faulty engine, and i was determined to never let that happen again. Which is why i had the squadron examining their planes with the help of the mechanics.

"Look at that. One inch to the left, and you'd be flying with only one engine." Pops said, pointing the damage to me.

"Damn. Talk about a close call." I said, putting my hand on the metal. I wanted to feel the damage, put it in my memory.

"Captain Kruger, base commander wants to talk to you." Bartlett said.

"Let me guess. It's about splashing those MiGs, isn't it?" I asked.

"Afraid so. I don't like it either. But there's not much we can do about it." Bartlett said.

We entered Perrault's office, where he was waiting for us.

"So, you guys disobeyed orders and fired upon the unknown planes." Perrault said.

"Sir, they fired first. We only acted in self defense." I said, but Perrault interrupted me.

"I'm not interested in your excuses. Just because you come here as a second flight instructor, doesn't mean you can strut around like you own the place." he said.

_Said the pot to the kettle._ I thought.

As much as I wanted to object and voice my opinion, I decided not to. Why risk jeopardizing my position, and risk being found out?

Once again, all information about our engagement was classified.

"Damn it!" Chopper said.

"Calm down, Chopper. What's the problem?" I asked, sitting across him and Nagase.

"All our kills are once again classified. Captain, You're an ace. How can you live with that?" he asked.

"Doesn't matter what the brass says. I know what we did today and yesterday. We made it back. That's something to take pride in." I said. Leaning back in the chair, i removed my jacket and put it across my face, blocking the sun and letting me sleep.

Nagase looked at me, wondering about her leader. He dove right into the mess of enemy planes, and nearly crushed them by himself. And given his little speech, he didn't care about kills, but wanted to get his pilots home.

"Captain, mind if we talked?" Nagase asked, shaking me awake.

"Sure thing." I said, sitting next to her.

Nagase fidgeted in her seat, wondering what topic to approach. Her flight instructor saved the squadron already, and was a master in close range combat. She was just a nugget in training. What could she possibly ask him?

"Where'd you learn to fly like that?" she asked.

"I had a good flight instructor. He taught me everything I know. But i have to give thanks to the Belkans." I said.

"You were trained in Belka? Or was your flight instructor Belkan?" Nagase asked.

"Nope. In war, the best teacher you'll have is your enemy. He'll teach you where he is strong, where you are weak. I picked up many things from the Belkan air-force." I said.

"Why'd you stay in the air-force? Many officers left over the budget cuts." Nagase said.

"I wasn't them. While i don't wish for war, i do know we need to be ready for war. You want peace, prepare for war. Though, there is a danger in that." I said.

"You honestly think we'll be in another war?" Nagase asked.

"I hope not. But twice we were under attack by those planes. I don't know who is sending them, or why they'd want to pick a fight with another country. We're still dealing with the asteroid attack. Last thing we need is another war." I said.

"Osea is a superpower. I doubt anyone will want to fight us. Other than Belka." Nagase said.

"Every country has their weakness. You say we're a superpower, but with the budget cuts we're looking more like a paper tiger. Of course, the only other superpower is Yuktobania. And I doubt they'll just sit back and demilitarize." I said, knowing full well that the Su-37s that Yellow Squadron had came from Yuktobania itself.

"It's crazy, that's what it is." Nagase said.

"Maybe, but it's also smart. Consider what has happened since the Belkan war. There has been two major wars in the Usean continent, the Ulysses asteroid, the Estovakian civil war, and numerous smaller conflicts across the globe. If Yuktobania still has her military might, my hat is off to them. At least they're preparing." I said.

"I heard that their leader wants peace, just like Harling." Nagase said.

"Trust, yet verify. The Yuktobanian leader, Gorbechav said so. I have to agree with him." I said.

"Well, I think that…" Nagse started when I cut her off.

"Nagase, lets cut thru the bullshit. We are not going to see eye to eye on this matter. Lets just agree to disagree." I said.

"Of course sir." she said, smiling at me.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch 4

"This is going to bite us in the ass." I said to Bartlett.

"I know. But orders are orders." he replied.

"We let that ship go, and they'll come back with an even bigger force. I've seen it happen during the war." I said.

"I've seen it as well. But we're in no position to do anything about it." Bartlett said.

"I don't know. A warzone is a chaotic place. One of us could easily fly over that ship and drop several hundred tons of high-explosives on them." I nonchalantly said.

"Kruger…" Bartlett started, but i was already on my way.

…

"Your orders are to shoot down the drones. Understood?" Bartlett asked.

"Understood." Chopper said.

"Understood." Nagase said.

"Understood." I said.

"Good. Blaze, you're up." Bartlett said.

Accelerating ahead of the squadron, I selected my R-27 missiles seeing the large green circle appear on the HUD. The growling in my ears told me i had a missile lock, and I pulled the trigger. The missile stayed inside the wide circle and destroyed the drone.

Textbook. I thought, as i searched for another drone. The rest of the squadron was reporting their own kills, thinning the ranks.

"Smooth as always, right Blaze?" Chopper asked.

"Smooth like freshly shaved skin. How many drones are their?" I asked.

"The ship has sent out four more drones. Lets take them down." Bartlett said.

I pointed my nose at the ship and locked on with one of my missiles. I could take this vessel down, prevent a bigger strike.

"Blaze, you are not authorized to fire on the ship." Thunderhead said.

"Captain, they've got a lock on you!" Nagase exclaimed.

"Thanks for stating the obvious." I said, my hand over the trigger. The crew on the ship fired a missile at me, and I sharply pulled up. The missile came closer and closer, ignoring the counter measures i dumped out.

"Damn it!" I shouted, cutting power and pulled the stick in my gut in one last attempt to ward off a hit.

It failed, and the plane shook in response to the impact. Warnings were going off in the cockpit, and it was becoming harder to control her.

"Captain! You okay?!" Chopper asked.

"I'm fine. I'm heading back to base. Take care of the drones." I said.

"Blaze, you need an escort?" Nagase asked.

"I'm fine." I said.

"Nagase, escort him back to base. Me and Chopper can handle the rest." Bartlett said.

"Copy that." Nagase said.

Nagase look as i struggled with my damaged bird, seeing black smoke coming from the damaged engines.

"Nagase, i'll attempt to land, but it's most likely i'll be ejecting. After I do so, go back and help Chopper and Bartlett. That's an order." I said.

"Wardog 4, you're cleared for an approach."

"Get the emergency personal ready. I'm coming in hot." I said, watching as my RPMs rose. The tarmac came closer and closer. My instinct was to eject, but I knew that if i did, the runway would be ruined from my out of control plane. So I tilted the nose up, jammed the throttle all the way forward and pulled the ejection handle.

I watched as I was ejected out of the plane, and parachuted to the earth. My out of control fighter flew over the tarmac and crashed into the water, slowly sinking. I heard some of the ground personal cheering as I touched down. I waved to Nagase who waggled her wings in return. Watching her head to the field of battle, i began to roll up my parachute.

"Shot down on your third run." Pops said.

"I've been shot down before. Survived both encounters. We got a spare plane?" I asked.

"We got an F-20 Tigershark in the hanger. Has your name on it." Pops said, taking me to the hanger where it sat.

"A Tigershark? Where did you get that? Those are extremely rare! Only Belka and Yuktobania use them, and even so." I said, my eyes upon the bird.

"I have my ways." Pops said.

"Good. If possible, we need better planes. Tiger-2 is a good plane, but it'll only get you so far." I said.

"I'll have to talk to Bartlett, since he's the squadron leader. But what do you think we'll need?" Pops asked.

"Another Su-27, and F-16s for everyone else." I said.

Chopper and Nagase returned and with bad news.

"Bartlett was shot down? Why aren't we going after him?" I asked.

"Because we've been ordered to head to St. Hewlett. It's being bombed right now." Nagase said.

"By who?" I asked, as i climbed into the F-20.

"Don't know." Nagase said.

And just like that, we were sent to St. Hewlett. The squadron was silent, but my thoughts weren't. Just like the last war, I was watching my squad getting picked off one by one. And since i too was shot down, i couldn't save Bartlett. Never again would that happen.

"This is Major Hamilton. It's time you know who you're up against. The Union of Yuktobanian Republics has declared war upon us." he said.

"You're kidding!" Nagase said, aghast.

"I wish I was. Protect the bay at all costs." Hamilton ordered.

Replacing his voice, was silence. We were all in shock. Sure, Yuktobania and Osea were in a cold-war for years but both countries also fought side by side against the Belkans. What was going on?

"Nagase, take point." Thunderhead said.

"Negative. Blaze is taking the lead. And I'm not losing another flight lead." Nagase said, moving her plane so I could take point.

"I'll stick to the trail position." Chopper said, not looking forward to another round of combat. I didn't blame him.

"Quit screwing around! This is war. The enemy is all over you, and they'll eat you alive." someone exclaimed, zooming past us in an F-14.

"Captain Osea." I sardonically said, before giving orders to my squad.

"Everyone, disperse and engage all targets." I said.

Looking down from my Tigershark, I saw the Yuktobanian aircraft bombing and strafing the Osean ships at will.

'Yellow 13, look at this.'

I looked at the newspaper Yellow 4 gave me. It said that ISAF had destroyed the Invincible fleet and laid waste to the surrounding port.

'Shit. This will hurt us.'

"Maybe i can make a difference this time." i said, getting behind two F-5's and gunned them down.

"Good kill, Blaze!" Nagase said.

"The Osean ships are sitting ducks." a Yuke pilot said. It was the last thing he said, as I turned his plane into swiss cheese, though I had to give the Yuke's credit. They were hitting us right where we least expected it.

_"A smart enemy will hit you where you least expect it. How long have the Yukes been planning this?"_ I wondered, seeing the Osean fleet attempt to break out of the bay. I saw the lone aircraft carrier, Kestrel with her escort ships attempting to escape. The Yukes saw it, and two Harriers dove towards the ship at full speed.

"I got these two!" I said, chasing them. Getting a missile lock, i pulled the trigger and fired another missile destroying one of the Harriers. The second came closer and closer to the carrier.

"Kestrel! He's on a suicide run! Shoot him down!" I shouted.

"Our CIWS is off-line!"

I squeezed the trigger, sending a full spray of 20mm gunfire towards the VTOL aircraft. To my surprise, I saw the Harrier suddenly move upwards like a helicopter, and I flew underneath him. Right in front of his guns and missiles.

"Oh shit." I said, realizing I had fallen into a similar trap I'd pull on my ISAF enemies before. Quickly accelerating away, I turned my head and saw Chopper save my bacon with a well placed missile shot. Seems my nuggets were getting the hang of air combat fast.

"Thanks for the save, Chopper." I said.

More Yuktobanian planes came in guns blazing, intent on destroying the Osean ships. I could only shake my head at their stubborness. Yuktobania had nothing to gain fighting Osea, and vice versa. All I could do was shoot down more and more Yuke planes.

"Splashed another one. It's like shooting fish in a barrel." Chopper said, downing an A-6.

Flying over the harbor, I could see dozens of Oseans in the water, and said water was tainted by oil and fuel leaking from the destroyed ships and planes. I had a gut feeling that something bad was going to happen. Seeing an enemy plane heading towards me, I pulled the trigger and blew its right wing off.

"Downed another one." I said, circling around to confirm my kill. My eyes went open as I saw the wrecked plane crash into the water, turning the blue liquid into a fiery orange-red surface. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the carnage.

"Captain, did you see that?" Chopper asked, clearly shocked at the atrocity.

"Yeah. I saw." I lied. I pointed my nose perpendicular to the bridge and accelerated away from the squad. Clenching my fists, my attention was brought to my radar as a final wave of Yuke aircraft came after us.

"Listen up. We have one final wave of Yuke planes coming after us. Looks like they'll try and sink the remaining ships once and for all." I said.

"Don't worry. The Kestrel is leaving the bay." Swordsman said.

"Great, but it won't do shit. We're running low on ammunition here, and the Yukes are throwing everything they have left at us." I said.

"This is Captain Anderson. We're launching all available fighters. Request top cover until our plane are airborne." he said.

A flight of Nimrods came towards us, fully armed with anti-ship missiles. They were quite easy to destroy since we slaughtered the escort fighters before hand. With my missiles gone, I was reduced to using my guns.

"Chopper, Edge. Ammo report." I said.

"I'm all out, captain." Chopper said.

"Same here, Blaze." Nagase replied.

"Damn. Kestrel, my flight is winchester. We need your planes right now, damn it!" I exclaimed.

"Captain, my squadron is here and ready to take wardog's position. RTB." Swordsman said.

"Thanks, Swordsman. Wardog, RTB." I said, turning my plane around and headed home.

"1, 2, 3 planes. Can't wait to tell the captain when we get back." Chopper said.

"That reminds me. Were you guys able to sink that ship?" I asked.

"What ship?" Nagase asked.

"The one that launched those drones." I said.

No-one spoke, confirming my fears. Even though my pilots didn't know it, I knew that Bartlett was now a prisoner of Yuktobania. But in case I was wrong, i decided to wait until we were back at the base.

"What are you talking about?" Chopper asked, staring down Hamilton. Hamilton's crisp clean uniform matched his cool and controlled demeanor.

"It's true. Captain Bartlett has been captured by the Yuktobanians and is now a prisoner of war. As of this moment, Captain Kruger is appointed the leader of Wardog squadron." Hamilton said.

"Sir, permission to attempt a rescue op." I said, though I already knew the answer already.

"Denied. Yuktobania is one of the most defended nations on the planet right now." Hamilton said.

"Interesting. We can't go get Bartlett because they've defended themselves to the teeth, while our defenses are swiss cheese." I bitterly said. Hell, Farbanti and San Salvacion had better defenses than Osea had at the moment.

"That's all. Dismissed." Hamilton said. We saluted him, and walked out of his office.

Chopper and Nagase walked out. I stayed behind, wanting to know how Bartlett was shot down. Hamilton gave me a succinct report on the events, how Nagase was fired upon by a missile, only for Bartlett to take the bullet.

"Did she try any counter maneuvers?" I asked.

"I'm not that well informed. You'll have to ask Nagase, or our resident mechanic, Pops." Hamilton said.

"Sir." I said, saluting him and walked out.

Wanting to vent, i headed to one of the exercise rooms and set up a punching bag and began to beat it as hard as I could, letting my emotions out. I wasn't an impatient or emotional man. But right now, all i could do was release my pent up anger.

"You alright, Captain?" Nagase asked.

"Just fine." I curtly said, hitting the bag as hard as I could. I was angry; angry at the brass for not allowing us to destroy the ship. Angry at myself for not destroying the ship when I had the chance, angry at the squadron for following such stupid orders. Angry at Nagase for letting Bartlett get shot down, and angry at myself since I wasn't there to save him.

"It's not your fault." Nagase said.

"No. It's not. It's just a goddamned fluke! I should have, we should have destroyed that ship when we had the chance. But we didn't. Now we're short a pilot, and the Yukes will return in force. Bombers, surface vessels, you name it." I said, punching the bag harder and harder.

"You can't be certain of that." Nagase said.

"I have 15 years of flying under my belt, plus a war with Belka. No offense, but you don't have that. Hell, were you and the pilots trained to counter against enemy missiles?" I asked.

"We were trained. But…" Nagase started when I cut in, letting exhaustion and anger do the talking.

"Something just crossed my mind. You were flying Tiger-2s. Do they have countermeasures?" I asked.

"They do. But I froze." Nagase said.

"You froze, in a life or death situation. You do that again, I'll let the Yukes kill you. But saying that, you handled yourself well today." I said.

"Thanks, I guess." Nagase said.


	5. Chapter 5

Ch 5

"Anything I can help with, Nagase?" Pops asked, seeing the young woman absently walking into the hanger.

"No, Pops. Just something on my mind." she said.

"Maybe I can help." Pops said.

"It's about the Captain. Captain Kruger. One minute, he'll praise you on your skills and surviving a battle. And within the same sentence, he'll punish you, or leave you out to hang for the wolves. I don't get it." Nagase said.

"Captain has seen his fair share of war and combat. You know he served in the Belkan war, right?" Pops asked.

"That's true. I can only imagine how awful that war was. Pops, did you fight in any past wars?" Nagase asked.

"I also fought in the Belkan war. I was Bartlett's squadron leader. During one fight, we both got shot down and had to make our way back to friendly lines. Now that shit was crazy, with Belkan and Osean planes raining down around us." Pops laughed.

"Interesting story. But how does it help me with Kruger?" Nagase asked.

"He wants you and Chopper to make it past this war. I'm guessing he lost some friends in the last war, and he doesn't want a repeat. But don't take it to be true. It's still theory and speculation." Pops said.

"Thanks, anyway. See what i can do to get closer to him." Nagase said.

"Hold on. You said you want to get closer to him?" Pops asked.

"Yeah. Why?" Nagase asked, confused.

"As long as it's not romantic, you both will be fine. But you'll have to let him make the first move. Maybe he'll want to be close to you, or not. We're at war, Nagase. That's the only thing on his mind." Pops said.

"Well, he wasn't happy that we didn't destroy that boat. Says the Yukes will come back with everything. It can't be that bad. Right?" Nagase asked.

"I'm afraid it will be that bad." I said, interrupting both of them.

"Captain." Nagase said, saluting me.

"At ease, Nagase. Looks like we can rest easy tonight. Maybe the bastards won't be coming after us." I said, looking at the darkening sky above us.

I was proven wrong when an explosion was heard. We headed outside the hanger, seeing Yuke planes attacking our base. The attack only confirmed my fears about the missing ship.

"Looks like you were right, captain." Nagase said, as she climbed into her F-5.

"Wish I was wrong on this account." I answered, climbing into my F-20. Me and Nagase rolled to the tarmac, joined by Chopper. A fierce air battle raged around us, as an F-4 was shot down and crashed next to us. I clenched my teeth and accelerated down the runaway, seeing a MiG bearing down towards me.

"Guns!" I shouted, firing my machine-gun at the enemy plane. The pilot broke off, trying to limp away only for Nagase to put him down. Seeing more Yuke fighters, I dove into the fray and shot down two on the first attack.

"I thought the Yukes were more coordinated than this." Chopper said.

"I doubt they expected to face resistance so soon. Don't drop your guard. This is only the first wave." I said.

I was proven right, as Yuktobanian Tu-160s and B-1s came in at Mach speed. Thank god i was flying an F-20. I hugged the ground and floored it past the Mach 1 barrier. Selecting one of my long range missiles, I put the target right in the middle of the green circle and pulled the trigger. Though the method of downing the B-1 only took a few seconds, I was a sitting duck. I preferred to use the semi-active missiles at close range like they were a sidewinder.

"Hey, someone's trying to take off." Chopper said. Looking down, i saw an F-5 rolling onto the tarmac.

"This is Grimm. I'm taking off." he said. _Who the hell is Grimm?_

"The hell you are. You're not even out of replacement pilot training yet." Chopper said.

"I didn't see any other pilots around." Grimm defended.

"He's got a point. Nagase, Chopper. You two handle the bombers. I'll keep the enemy escorts at bay. Grimm, get up here now." I teresly said.

"Boy, you picked the wrong day to join. You'll find our flight commander is a hardass." Chopper said.

Grimm didn't respond, but rolled down the tarmac and into the air. Noticing an F-16 moving in behind him, I rolled behind the enemy plane and shot him down.

"Thanks for the save, captain." Grimm said.

"Knock on wood, Grimm. That plane i shot down crashed onto the tarmac. Even if we all survive, can't guarantee a safe return. Stay on my wing. We'll take care of the fighters." I said, turning to intercept a squadron of Yuke Fulcrums.

"Stay calm, stay calm." Grimm said, as he now realized the gravity of the situation he was in. He clearly bit off more than he could chew at the moment. I sympathized with him. I was also nervous during my first sortie as a pilot in the Erusean air-force.

"Here they come!" I shouted, firing the last of my munitions. I bagged a kill with a missile, and wounded another with my guns. Grimm blew the plane with a missile shot, and chased after the remaining two, firing his guns widely.

"Controlled bursts. Don't spray and pray." I said, locking onto the second MiG and blew it to pieces. Turning my head, i saw Grimm chasing the MiG, and i knew Grimm was going to die unless something happened. Pulling up and to the left, i fired my guns and the MiG went after me.

"That's it. Come closer." I smirked, seeing Grimm chase the now oblivious Yuke pilot. One missile shot and the shooting was over.

"Good shooting Grimm. Lets take out those bombers." I said.

With four fighter jets and no enemy planes to fight, taking out the bombers was easy, but it didn't come without a cost. The Yukes managed to destroy a couple of the hangers and parts of the tarmac. Landing was going to be difficult, if not impossible.

"There's a small strip of undamaged ground between the hangers and the runaway. If you don't think you'll be able to land, eject over the ocean. Planes are replaceable. Pilots aren't." I said, opening my landing gear.

Steeling my nerves, I felt the plane touch on the ground and slowed to a crawl. Precision was the goal, and did everything I could to avoid a crash.

"Great landing, Blaze!" Nagase exclaimed. Stumbling out of the cockpit, i helped the mechanics push the plane into the garage. Flagging the next aircraft, i watched as Chopper and Nagase both landed on the makeshift runaway. I was reminded of Yellow Squadron, how we converted a section of unfinished highway into our own air-force base. That was fucking awesome.

"Now is Grimm's turn. Think he's up to it?" Pops asked.

"If i were him, I'd eject and let the plane crash into the water. No shame in that." I said.

As Grimm came closer and closer to the ground, it looked like he would be able to pull off the landing. But Grimm accelerated away from the ground and re-positioned himself to land in the nearby water.

"Smart man." I said, watching him belly land on the water. He opened the canopy and swam to the shore line, turning around to see his aircraft sink beneath the waves.

"Ah, the water isn't that deep where he is. We can have his plane ready to go in a couple of days." Pops said.

I walked out of the hanger, surveying the damage. One thing was true about the Yuktobanian armed forces. When they go on the offensive, they throw everything they can at you. I wouldn't be surprised to see a kitchen sink in one of these craters.

"Hell of a fight, eh Captain?" Nagase asked, approaching me.

"Sure is. But we came back alive. So that's something to be proud of." I said.

"Still, it's going to be a bitch to clean this up." Nagase joked.

"Shouldn't be that much of a problem. The real danger is unexploded munitions. Follow me." I said, heading to the armory. I opened it and grabbed two sniper rifles.

"What are these for?" Nagase asked.

"We find a bomb, we shoot it. Yeah, it'll create another crater, but at least we won't have to worry about it." I said.

Me and Nagase combed the tarmac, searching for the deadly warheads. I found one and then stepped backwards, keeping the bomb inside the scope. Exhaling, I pulled the trigger and was in turn knocked on my ass when the bomb was detonated.

"Captain! You alright?" Chopper asked, picking me up.

"Fine. Just bit off more than I could chew." I said.

"What's with the rifle?" he asked.

"Clearing munitions." I said, hearing another loud explosion. The MPs came out, wondering what all the racket was about. They wearly looked at me and Nagase as we were armed with sniper rifles.

"What's going on here?" the lead MP asked.

"Munitions clearing, sir." I answered.

"We have bomb disposal units on base. No need to risk yourself." the officer said. He motioned for two of his soldiers to take our rifles and returned them to the armory.

…

"I thought we were going to be thrown into solitary." I said.

"Guess not." Nagase said, as she lay on the couch. She pulled out her book and began to write in it.

Searching around the rec room, i found a guitar and proceeded to strum it. With the strings taunt as I wanted them, I proceeded to play a song. I settled on a song i was familiar with. With my eyes closed, i remembered the harmonica of the young boy me and my squadron had befriended.

Opening my eyes again, I noticed Nagase smiling at me. Her smile was infections as i smiled in return.

"Nagase and Kruger are in love." Chopper teased. Nagase put her face in her book, but i saw how red her cheeks were. Of course, I couldn't help but blush as well. Nagase was cute.

"Look at that. The captain's human. Never seen him smile since the start of the war." Chopper said.

"I'm your CO. Have to maintain the image of a hard-ass." I jokingly said.

With night approaching, i entered my quarters and pulled out a single photo. It showed me, Yellow 4, the kid, and the barkeep's daughter. I smiled in remembering the memories, playing with the boy and joking with my fellow pilots.

My thoughts then turned to anger, as i remembered what the girl did. She planted the bomb that indirectly killed yellow 4. Sure, that Ribbon pilot killed her over Stonehenge, but as far as I was concerned, the daughter killed my wingman. Mr. Ribbon was just doing his job. Encountering her afterwords was one of the few times I had lost control of my emotions. If i had my pistol on hand, I would have killed the young girl right on the spot.

"Need to clear my head." I muttered to myself, heading to the bathroom. I washed my face and looked at my reflection in the mirror. All i saw was a hard man filled anger and cynicism. The boy's words came back to haunt me. _'Get out of our town, you facist pigs!'_


	6. Chapter 6

Ch 6

The sound of fighter jets flying above woke me from my sleep, though I didn't get much sleep last night. Everyone headed to the briefing room, where Perrault was waiting.

"The biggest mistake Yuktobania made, was failing to sink our carriers. They'll be the springboard of our counter-attack." Perrault said, stepping aside for the briefer to start.

_The biggest mistake we're making is thinking our carriers are invulnerable. They all but destroyed St Hewlett. They showed us that wherever we go, they'll hit us. But with several carriers put together, good luck trying to get past all the defenses and fighter planes._

Pops flagged us down, and showed us new aircraft, 3 Mirage 2000's with semi-active air to air missiles.

"Thanks for the aircraft, Pops. Everyone grab a bird." I said.

…

_Eaglin Straights_

The three aircraft carriers were seen with various other vessels, plus dozens of fighter jets. I figured the Yukes would have to be suicidal to launch an attack on this force. Other aircraft were leaving, finishing their patrol.

"Wardog squadron, link up with the tanker and standby for further orders." Thunderhead ordered.

"Everyone's leaving. Can we go yet?" Chopper complained. I had to agree with him on this one. We were sitting in the cockpit for two hours now. I was also getting exhausted.

"How are you holding up Captain?" Nagase asked.

"Fine here. Can't wait for this carpool to end." I said, looking down at the carriers. Why didn't they have their aircraft up in the air? Was the attack at St. Hewlett covered up as well?

My thoughts were interrupted when Grimm told us about having trouble with his radar. Looking at my radar, i knew it wasn't a sensor glitch but it was enemy aircraft approaching us.

"We got enemy aircraft coming in. Spread out and engage." I ordered.

Harrier's came in a full speed, though i wasn't too concerned about that. Their top speed was around mach 1. Putting one of the jets in the crosshair of my missiles, i pulled the trigger and watched as the missile destroyed the Yuke aircraft with ease.

"Thin them out with long range missiles. Kestrel, get your aircraft up and running. Looks like another full scale attack." I said.

"Copy that. We're sending up the CAP now." Captain Anderson said, as F-14s were launched from the carrier and joined us in securing the air-space.

"This fog. It's playing hell with my vision." Grimm said, as an F-35 dodged his strike and hid inside the clouds. I joined Grimm in hunting the rouge plane, but i was eager to get away from the dense clouds. Experience taught me that clouds were a blessing and a curse. You could use it to hide, but your enemy knows that as well.

"It seems like Yuktobania is one step ahead of us, isn't it?" Nagase asked.

"It sure as hell looks like it. How did they know we were going to amass a carrier task force right here?" Chopper asked.

"Wardog, we have a large number of enemy aircraft heading our way! Move to intercept." Thunderhead ordered.

"They caught us with our pants down." Grimm said.

"They caught us while we were jerking off, Grim." I added, not caring it was lewd. Two F-35s zoomed under me, towards the task force. I dove down to meet the two and chased them at sea level.

"Blaze, you're gonna get yourself killed!" Nagase said, worried about my safety. I paid no attention to her words, and instead fired my guns, taking down one of the enemy planes and watched the second pull up to avoid certain death, but i wasn't letting him get away. Firing another missile, i watched as it made contact and turned the jet into spare parts.

"How's everyone holding up?" I asked, heading back into the fray.

"We got a few enemies to deal with, but it's nothing we can't handle." Chopper said, when Thunderhead interrupted.

"Enemy has launched a burst missile."

"Say what?!" I asked, wondering if Yuktobania had lost their mind. If they resorted to dropping a thermonuclear bomb on an enemy task force, than this war would escalate quicker than we thought possible.

"Everyone, climb! They're targeting the fleet!" I shouted, pulling the nose straight up and accelerated fast and hard.

"Five, four, three, two, one! Bursting!" Thunderhead shouted, hoping that some of the pilots had climbed to a high enough altitude. A loud explosion filled my ear drums, and the cries and screams of dead pilots and sailors filled my ears before being replaced with a high pitched ringing noise. I looked down to see what was going on, only to see a second large explosion. Looking back at my HUD, i noticed my altimeter said 6000 ft. Was that the limit of the explosion?

"Captain, respond!" Nagase all but yelled, trying to break thru my shell-shock. The ringing stopped and i responded to her, if only to keep what's left of my hearing.

"I'm here, Nagase. Give me a sitrep." I said, diving down to the fleet.

"There's nothing left, captain. We're down to one carrier." Nagase said.

"What about planes?" I asked, looking at my radar yet found no friendlies. Nagase told me that Wardog squadron, along with Swordsman, were the only survivors.

_'Captain, help us!'_

_'I don't want to die!'_

"Understood." I firmly said, but all I could focus on, was the memories of my former squadron. The pilots of Yellow Squadron were killed off during the war, the majority of them being killed at Farbanti and Meglith.

"Wardog squadron, head to Hierlark air-force base to refuel and rearm." Thunderhead said. I couldn't respond, the emotions and bad memories proving stronger than my control at the moment. Nagase answered in my stead, and watched me with worry as I lead them towards Hierlark air base.

"Captain." she softly muttered, rightfully worried as i was in shock. No-one spoke during the flight, something i was grateful for. I think we were all stunned after the ballistic missile strike. With South Belka coming into view, i saw a light snow falling around us. I chuckled to myself as i thought about asking my squadron for a snowball fight, something lighthearted to balance the horror we just saw.

"Wardog, Hielark Tower, cleared to land." the base's control tower told us. With my mind under control, i responded and guided the squadron to the tarmac, touching down on the pavement and heading into the nearest hanger.

When the cockpit opened, i climbed down from the plane and walked outside the hanger while removing my helmet. Dropping to my knees i put my fingers in my mouth and voided the contents of my stomach. Clenching my fists in pain, i hear the roar of jet engines and looked up. I could barely see a plane in the sky above.

"Blaze!" Nagase exclaimed, running towards me. I was in shock, and now i'm throwing up. Of course she's worried. I'd be worried too if i was in her shoes.

"I'm fine, Nagase. I'm fine." I said, standing up.

"Bullshit, Captain. Ever since that missile strike, you've been acting all weird. First shock, now this. What's wrong with you?" Nagase asked.

"Nothing's wrong with me, Nagase. Just some bad memories. That's all." said.

"Oh. I see." Nagase quietly said, realizing i was suffering a mild attack of PTSD.

"But thanks anyway." I said, heading inside the hanger. Nagase called my callsign again, and i saw a snowball flying past my head. I quickly turned around, seeing her preparing another snowball.

"A snowball fight. Prepare to lose, Nagase." I said, joining her onto the snowy ground outside.

"In your dreams, captain." she playfully said.

Arming myself with snowballs, me and Nagase threw them at each other, trying to outlast each other.

"Aren't you getting cold?" Nagase asked, as she prepared another ball.

"I could say the same for you. Just be glad we're not in the Razgriz strait." I said, throwing a ball at her.

"Thank god the Razgriz is only a fairy tale. I'd hate to fight her." Nagase said, as she came closer to me. I dropped my snowballs and ran towards her, knocking her onto the ground.

Both of us rolled around on the snow, and Nagase straddled me as the winner. Part of my mind was blabbering about military protocol, how i couldn't get close to her. But another part of my brain said otherwise, enjoy the moment with her, make up lost time with Yellow 4.

"Captain, we better head back." Nagase said, shaking me out of my thoughts. Though i was slightly disappointed when she stood up, as i was beginning to enjoy having her on top.

_Wait. What?_

"Anyway, Kruger here is nailing the Yuke planes left and right…" Chopper said, talking about fights with the Yukes. The nuggets were eating it all up, though i suspected Chopper was embellishing some of the reports. Didn't matter. I knew what really happened.

"Where'd you two get snow?" Grimm asked, causing me and Nagase to face him, surprise on our faces.

"What?" Nagase asked.

"Your flight suit is caked with snow." Grimm said; i looked down and saw my boots in a small puddle of water, as the flames in the fireplace melted them.

"Ha ha. Looks like Nagase and Captain are in love. Just let us know when you'll tie the knot." Chopper jokingly said.

"Chopper, you know regulations prohibit that." Grimm said.

"Just joking, Grimm. Look at their faces." Chopper said.

"Yeah. Look." I said to Chopper, before pulling Nagase in for a kiss. Chopper just looked flabbergasted, while Nagase could only try to compose herself.

"Well, Captain. Looks like we shouldn't underestimate you." Grimm said.

"Correct." I said.

Night came, and everyone headed to their quarters when Nagase flagged me down. I gritted my teeth, preparing for the backlash.

"You know we could get in some trouble with that." She warned.

"I know." I said.

"But still. The look on Chopper's face. Now that's something to remember." she smiled.

"That is. Get some rest, Lt." I said, heading to my quarters when she said one more thing.

"By the way. Next time should be somewhere more private." she added.

_'So, you like the girl, don't you.'_

"Quiet, Yellow 4." I whispered when i got to my room.


	7. Chapter 7

Ch 7

Walking outside the base, i took in a deep breath of the cold Belkan air. Nagase called the land north Osea, but I called it south Belka. I never liked how Osea stole the land from Belka. They had no right to do so, even if the people were tired of the war.

"Taste that fresh Belkan air, Nagase." I said, knowing it irked her that i called it by its proper name.

"It's freezing, captain. And it's called North Osea." she said.

"I prefer south Belka. The land belongs to Belka, not Osea. Anyway, there's a reason Belka is in the frozen north. The cold forges real strength." I said.

"I for one, do not like the cold. Only a hard people could live up here." Nagase said.

"You're right on that." I said. Both of us stood in silence, before i ran ahead into the blinding snow.

"Captain!" Nagase said, running towards me. I paid her no attention and continued to run, eyes laser focused ahead. I must have ran a good 6 miles before I slowed down.

"Goddamn, Levi. Where did you come from?" Nagase asked.

"Osea." I said.

"Really? It seems like you're some supersoldier created in a lab. Remember those old cold war movies about the Yuke and Belkan supersoldiers?" Nagase asked.

"I remember."

"That's what you remind me off. Piercing blue eyes, trimmed blond hair. Looks you came out of a propaganda poster from Yuktobania." Nagase said.

"Speaking of Yuktobania, there was this one movie i watched, Firefox. Clint Eastwood had to sneak into a Yuke air-force base and steal their superplane." I said.

"That was a good movie. How long are you going to be out in the cold?" Nagase asked.

"Until I feel otherwise." I said, walking at a brisk pace.

"I'll be heading inside." Nagase said, turning around.

"So, where's the captain?" Chopper asked.

"He's still outside." Nagase said.

"In this cold? What is he, Yuktobanian or Belkan?" Chopper asked.

Nagase didn't respond, but looked up when Levi walked in the room.

"What's up, mr snowman?" Chopper asked.

I grinned and headed to the kitchen, grabbing two cups of hot chocolate and handed one to Nagase.

"You know, i feel sorry for those nuggets. Just barely joined, and will most likely be thrown into the fray." Chopper said.

"Thank you, Mr. President." I sarcastically said.

"Not a fan of cutting the defense budget?" Nagase asked.

"Nope. We need a strong military, but it appears he doesn't think so. I'd like to be their when he looks at the casualties. We can't win this war by throwing bodies at the Yukes."

For all their talk about criticizing and stereotyping the Yuktobanians as throwing waves of barely trained soldiers at the enemy, things were much different in real life. Now the tables were reversed. The Yukes were tough and smart, entering engagements with clear objectives in mind. Now, it seemed the Oseans were throwing waves of untrained soldiers at the enemy.

Check that. At least the Yukes gained territory from mass wave attacks. The Oseans were dumping bodies, just to plug up the holes in their defenses.

I was called to the base commander's office, where he gave me bad news.

"You're ordered to take the nuggets to sand island. They'll complete their ACM training." the commander said.

"Sir, sand island was almost destroyed by the Yukes. Why send them to the front lines?" I asked.

"I don't like it either. But it came from the top." He said.

Heading back to my pilots, i gave them the news. As i expected, they weren't happy about the new orders.

"They're insane! The Yukes will tear them to pieces!" Nagase exclaimed.

"I understand. But Osea doesn't have the manpower, nor do we have the time to fully train new soldiers. The Yukes played their cards well." I said.

"Osean brass must have a contingency plan." Nagase said.

"We'll talk about this later. In the meantime, get to your planes. I'll see what we have in the hanger." I answered.

Entering one of the hangers, I saw an Su-37 sitting with my name on it.

"I'll take her to go." I said to one of the mechanics.

"You sure? This plane was slated for show, not combat." the deckhand said.

"Just put air-to-air missiles on it. I'll do fine with her." I said.

With my new plane ready, i rolled onto the tarmac, with my squadron behind me.

"Captain, where'd you get the new toy?" Chopper asked.

"Found her sitting in the hanger." I said.

Accelerating down the tarmac, I pulled back on the stick and shot up like a rocket. I grinned, feeling the power of the engines go thru me.

Looking down, I saw the nuggets taking off one plane at a time. My squadron was now capable of taking off as a single formation. I inwardly lamented how lax the training had become.

"Settle in. This will be a long flight." I said.

My pilots passed the time chatting with the nuggets, while i stayed quiet. These pilots were going to be killed. And after seeing so many people die already, i was becoming jaded to it all.

"Wardog, this is tanker O21. Commence refueling process."

"Copy that. I'll go first." I said. With my HUD reconfigured, i approached the rear fuel line and settled in. I watched the fuel gauge go from half to full in a few minutes. Detaching from the tanker, i watched as the rest of my squadron filled up their tanks.

Next was the nuggets. And that was a cringfest. They couldn't keep their planes in the air, let alone stable enough for an air-refueling op. Not an easy task for a pilot still in training.

"Damn it. Cancel mid air refueling. We'll have to stop at every base along the way." I said.

The next few hours was the same thing over and over. Land, refuel, head to the next base. Land, refuel, head to the next base. By the time we arrived at McNealy air force base, i was exhausted. The nuggets attempted to land, but only managed to botched the landings, porpoising in response.

"That's gonna leave a mark. Where we that bad?" Chopper asked.

"Bartlett trained you guys well. These kids need all the help they can get." I said.

Entering the rest room, I crashed onto one of the couches. Nagase sat next to me, resting her head on my shoulder.

"How are you holding, Captain?" Nagase asked.

"A little tired from the flight, but i'm good." I said.

"Thanks. Have you heard of the Arkbird?" Nagase asked.

"Bits and pieces." I answered.

"It was built between Osea and Yuktobania as a bridge into outer space. It was used to clear the debris from the Ulysseys asteroid." Nagase said.

"I heard it was conceived as an anti icbm weapons platform during the cold war. I'm betting the Yukes know that. They're not stupid, Nagase." I warned.

"You think the Yukes will attack it? But why?" Nagase asked.

"We can't beat Yuktobania in a conventional war. They probably have the biggest military in the world. And unlike Osea, they're not spreading their forces out and weakening their position. If used in war, the Arkbird could be one hell of a force multiplier. Of course, that's if Osea can refit the Arkbird in time. And if they do…" I started.

"The Yukes will try to attack it. But how? It's up in space." Nagase said.

"I've heard the Yukes have missing cosmonauts in space, they even managed to get people on the moon." I said.

"The second part is true. What's the point?" Nagase asked.

"They have the rockets, and thousands of nuclear warheads. I wouldn't put it past the Yukes to destroy the Arkbird." I said.

"But that'll mean nuclear war." Nagase said.

"If the Yukes destroy the Arkbird before we refit it for war, you're right. But once the Arkbird is refitted for war, i think the Yukes will be in the right. After the cold war, the Yukes and Oseans made a deal not to militarize space. Deploying the Arkbird with weapons of any kind, is going against the treaty. And the Yukes have every right to destroy it." I said.

"Shit. You're right." Nagase said.

"Why'd you join the air-force, Nagase? Wanted to be an astronaut?" I asked.

"Sure did. I studied all the space missions Osea and Yuktobania made. Impressive considering the technology back then. I had a desire to travel the stars. Before that, i wanted to be a dancer. Even took some classes." Nagase said.

"Show me." I said.

Nagase stood up and began her dance, moving her body in a sensual manner. Nagase moved her body like a well trained snake, swaying her hips side to side. Continuing, she twirled on her foot before going thru a cartwheel and finishing with a split.

"Very good, Nagase. How long have you been dancing?" I asked as she sat next to me.

"A few years, captain." she said.

"Perhaps you can continue after the war." I said.

"That would be nice." Nagase said. She leaned forward as if she was going to kiss me, only for Grimm(thank god it's him instead of Chopper) to interrupt us.

"Brass wants us for a briefing." he said.

Both of us followed Grimm to the briefing room, seeing the rest of the pilots. The briefer told us about our next mission, that we were to head to the bassat space center and defend it from Yuktobanian forces.

"You know what our mission is, right?" I asked.

"Yes. We're to defend the space center while they launch an SSTO to the Arkbird." Nagase said.

"You don't understand, Nagase. This will escalate the war. The Yukes will most likely destroy the Arkbird, first chance they get. At best, the war continues as is. No serious escalation. At worst, we're looking at a full scale nuclear war. God help us all." I said.


	8. Chapter 8

Ch 8

Leading the squadron to the space center, I could only curse the Osean brass. If they were expecting a quick end to the war, they'd be sadly mistaken.

"Enemy transports with fighter escorts. They're dropping air-born tanks." the control tower said.

"They're planning to invade Osea?!" Nagase asked, not believing it.

"If so, this is a good place. Take control of the space center, cut off supplies to the arkbird. Clever bastards." I said.

Seeing the T-90s parachuting down, i put the gun-sight on the chute and pulled the trigger. I could only grimace as i watched the tank plummet to the ground at full force. The impact would crush everyone inside like an egg.

"This is so messed up." I said, firing at another parachute.

"Can't believe this is our option. Can you believe it captain?" Chopper asked.

"Just shut up and shoot." I curtly said, destroying another tank.

"Captain, you know why the Arkbird was built for, right?" Nagase asked.

"Shut it, Nagase. You know my feelings about the matter. Maybe we should let the Yukes destroy the SST." I coldly growled.

My pilots didn't respond, not wanting to be on the end of my wrath.

"Captain, all airborne tanks destroyed. Looks like we've won." Chopper said.

"If i were the Yukes, I'd destroy this space center. Tanks won't get the job done. They'll be sending in something heavier. Cruise missiles most likely." I said.

I was proven right, as Thunderhead alerted us of cruise missiles approaching us.

"Spread out and destroy them. Take out the missile's closest to the mass driver." I said.

More missiles were fired at us, drawing us away from the space center. My mind went to a scene from Tom Clancy's book, Red Storm Rising. Putting the thoughts aside, i pushed ahead to destroy more of the missiles, but instead of seeing a cruise missile all i saw was open sky.

"Captain, where'd the missiles go?" Chopper asked.

Now I remember. In the book, the Yukes destroyed an entire carrier fleet using decoys to draw away the defense fighters. And fiction was now influencing reality.

"It's a trick. Get back to the space center!" Nagase said, turning around.

"Wardog, cruise missiles to your left!" Thunderhead alerted.

"Damn it. We won't get their in time!" Chopper said.

"Bassett center, whatever you're going to launch, launch now!" I said.

"We need to run final tests! Keep those missiles…"

The line went static, as a cruise missile slammed into control tower, killing everyone inside. More missiles slammed into the mass driver.

"The bastards played us." I said, accelerating to destroy the remaining missiles that were still flying. I shot down two missiles and saw the remaining missiles destroyed. But one final wave of missiles appeared. And my pilots were reporting winchester.

"Haven't the Yukes given up yet?" Chopper asked.

"Haven't you learned by now? The Yukes throw everything at you. If anyone has munitions, engage." I said, firing the last of my gun ammo at a drone, yet failed to destroy it.

"Thunderhead, we need reinforcements." Grimm said.

"There's no time." our AWACS said.

We watched as the cruise missiles slammed into the mass driver, destroying it outright. Whatever the Oseans wanted to deliver to the Arkbird, was not going to happen.

"My god. How did this happen?" Grimm asked.

"All pilots, return to base." Thunderhead said.

Sand Island

The news was on, focusing about our defeat at the space center. The Yukes sent in soldiers to capture any and all data and materials that was still intact. The Yuke government went into an uproar.

"This is vice president, Boris Gorbachev. We've recently discovered the cowardly Osean attempt to militarize space. They couldn't beat us in a conventional fight, so they relied on their precious Arkbird to turn the tide. Their arrogance disgusts me, and all Yuktobanians. They broke the treaty not to militarize space. How can we trust anything their president says now?" Gorbechev asked.

"This is a pattern we have noticed with Osea, recently. Before the Belkan war, they screwed Belka over with the false claims of natural resources in the great lakes region. And they fomented dissent in the outer territories of Belka. And they have the gall to act surprised when Belka fights them. Osea is nothing more than an entitled spoiled brat, wanting to control the globe. But Yuktobania will not allow that to happen." the foreign minister said.

We watched as the crowd of Yuktobanians were in an uproar, yelling for Osean blood. _#BurnOseatotheground_ spread like wildfire. It seemed like the beginning of the next world war.

At bright-hill, president Harling could only bury his head in his hands. He wanted peace, but now it looked as though peace wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

"What are our options?" he asked.

"Sir, we're in a bind. The Yukes are correct. Arming the Arkbird was a blatant violation of the treaty. And world opinion is turning against us." an advisor said.

"What about military options?" Harling asked.

"Not good. Without the Arkbird, winning the war seems unlikely. The Yukes have the advantage in manpower and weaponry. Those Sinfaxci subs of theirs could win the war by themselves. And before you ask, those subs were completed before the nuclear treaties." his military advisor said.

"Have the Yuktobanians made any conditions? Demands?" Harling asked; the TV answered his question.

"If that coward Harling wishes peace with Yuktobania, here are our demands. The permanent grounding of the Arkbird, and all mass drivers to be destroyed or handed over to Yuktobanian control. It is clear Osea cannot be trusted with this." the vice president said.

Harling could only look in shock. There was no way he'd be able to negotiate for peace. The Yukes caught Osea trying to arm the Arkbird, and the Yuktobanians had already captured some Osean territory. Not to mention that moral would drop like a rock throughout Osea.

"Send a message to Nikanor. We'll head to north point for peace talks." Harling said.

In the Kremlin, the vice president received the message meant to be delivered to Nikanor.

"It's a trap. We send our leaders, and Osea captures them." Gorbachev said.

…

"President Harling is going to north point. I need to know his route." Micheal said.

"Don't worry. We'll give it to you. Ava Belka." Ashley said.

The next few days were glum. The news reports were about the same thing. Osea screwed the pooch by trying to arm the Arkbird. Other nations were coming out in condemnation, the strongest was Yuktobania and Belka.

"The Emmerian president has broken off ties with Osea, citing national security. Other countries are declaring themselves neutral, or outright aligned with Yuktobania. No response from the Osean president has come yet, but the longer he waits, the less likely the public will support him. This is OBC news."

Shutting the tv off, i was about to speak when an alarm went off.

"Just great." I said, heading to the briefing room.

All the pilots, including the nuggets, were gathered. An ugly feeling pooled in my gut. No doubt everyone knew of the Arkbird scandal. And if Yuktobania wanted to launch an attack on Sand Island, they picked the best moment to do so.

"As you all know, the situation between Osea and Yuktobania is perilous. But we don't have time to wonder about that. Right now, we've been ordered to evacuate Sand Island. As long as those super-submarines are still active, we're vulnerable here." Perrault said.

"Yuktobanian surface vessels have been spotted approaching this base. Your objective is to delay their advance. Remember, you won't be returning to this base. Rendezvous with the tanker once you complete your mission. That is all." the briefer said.

"This is crazy. We lost the Arkbird, and now the Yukes are invading us." one of the nuggets said.

"I think we just lost this war." another said.

I knew things would be bad, but i didn't know things would be this bad. Now some of the pilots were wondering if there was a reason to fight the Yukes anymore. I couldn't blame them. I also had the same doubts, yet i knew that defeat meant our families and friends would suffer.

"Once more unto the fray." I muttered as i strapped inside the cockpit of my aircraft. Once again, i took the lead position and saw everyone following behind me.

"Everyone, spread out and destroy the Yuke landing ships. Conserve your fuel and be prepared for anything. That Scinfaxi sub could be out there, so be ready to climb to 5000 feet in an instant, because if you don't you'll be roasted alive." I said.

"Nice pep talk, Captain." Nagase sarcastically said.

"It's the truth, Nagase. You saw what happened to our fleet." I said.

"Yeah. I remember." Nagase responded.

The fight became a turkey shoot, as we were bombing the Yuke ships with little opposition. Normally I wouldn't pay attention, but after the disaster at the space center, i wasn't leaving things to chance. The Yukes had shown themselves to be crafty bastards. What were they planning next?

"Wardog, enemy fleet is at half strength. Evacuation is going as planned." Thunderhead said.

"Thunderhead, have you picked up any signs of those super subs?" Grimm asked.

"Picture is clean. Continue operation." Thunderhead advised.

"Looks we're gonna live!" one of the nuggets happily said.

And thank to murphy's law, a burst missile was fired at our direction. Me and my squadron quickly made it above 5000 feet, but the nuggets weren't so lucky. I shut the radio off, not wanting to hear another batch of pilots get killed again.

The flames died down, and all i saw was my squadron in the air. The calmness was an eerie contrast to the violence that happened just a few seconds ago. I was sure i would lose my sanity before this war would end.

"Wardog, retreat. The Yukes won this round." I said.


	9. Chapter 9

Ch 9

A full month had passed, and me and my pilots waited for the next move. The Yukes were on the offensive, and it showed. The outer territories were at danger of being overrun, and the Osean air-force was spread out trying to hold the line.

"I have our orders. We're to patrol near Akerson hill. The Yukes might attempt a push in that area." I said.

"Might? It seems like they're bent on taking the entire west coast." Nagase said.

"Nagase, do you know the word Maskirovka?" I asked.

"No." she said.

"It's Yuktobanian. Means military deception. Trying to take the west coast will cost blood and time. So far, the Yukes have been very efficient with their materials and manpower. These attacks could just be something to keep us off balance. I remember doing the same thing during the Belkan war." I said, remembering when Yellow Squadron was sent on supposed recon missions, only to slaughter the ISAF pilots who came up expecting easy kills.

"So where do you think they'll attack?" Chopper asked.

"I don't know. I'm guessing they could head to Oured, but that's on the other side of the country." I said.

"If taking on the entire west coast will result in high casualties, than what's the point?" Nagase asked.

"They could be probing us for a weakness." Grimm said.

"Maybe. We'll talk about this later. Right, we better head to Akerson hill." I said.

…

Me and Nagase were 300 miles ahead of Chopper and Grimm, an awkward silence between us.

"So captain, any ideas about the Yuke invasion?" Nagase asked.

"Keep us busy on the western coast, while they send a small force to the south east and take on Oured. Of course, they'd have to fight their way past our so-called fleet." I said.

"So-called?" Nagase asked.

"The navy was hit hard during the budget cuts, followed by the air-force. Yuktobania sure as hell didn't follow our idea." I said.

Nagase didn't respond, knowing i was right.

Static was heard, catching our attention.

"This is the Osean air-force transport plane, Mother Goose One. We're flying to the neutral country of north point. It's a top secret mission, and i'm not transmitting a valid friendly ID signal to the ground-based automatic defense systems. As a result, a friendly SAM fired upon us."

Me and Nagase came closer to the transport, seeing the Osean emblem on it.

"Is your radar working?" I asked.

"Gone." the voice said.

"Who are you?" Nagase asked.

"You could say, i'm the cargo of this plane." he answered.

"Follow me. Nagase, keep an eye out for enemy aircraft." I said.

Settling in front of the transport, i flew at a leisurely pace yawing and turning whenever possible. The transport aircraft kept up with me, despite being damaged from the attack.

"Just a little further." I said, gripping the control stick. Sure, i could fly over the radar with no problem, but the transport would be blown to pieces if they followed my footsteps.

"I've got him on radar." a Yuktobanian said. Looking at my radar, i saw three Yuke aircraft heading our way.

"Nagase, we got company. Chopper, Grimm. Get over here now!" I said.

"Don't let up because it's a transport plane. If we take this guy out, they won't just give us a medal. They'll build a statue in our honor." another Yuke pilot said.

What are they talking about? Do they know who we're escorting?

As much as i wanted to go and fight, i had to trust my pilots to keep the Yukes at bay. I was left with the unenviable position of guiding mother goose one out of the kill-zone. I was getting frustrated at the moment.

"Thank god." I said, seeing the end of the tunnel.

"This is mother goose one. We're out of the AA system. Thank you."

"Enemy aircraft heading towards us at full speed. Chopper, where are you?" Nagase asked.

"The cavalry's here." Chopper said, arriving at the scene with Grimm. The Yuke pilots separated and attempted to fight us.

"These guys aren't push-overs. Take care of them." I said. Trailing a MiG-21, i fired my guns and tore him to pieces. Another enemy squad appeared, guns blazing.

"Holy hell! These guys are out for blood!" Chopper said, dodging enemy fire.

"Nagase, help out Chopper. I'm busy with these other guys." I said.

Once again, the Yukes had us on the defensive. Even though they were flying obsolete MiG-21s, these guys were experienced. I figured these honchos were veterans from the Belkan war, or any of the smaller conflicts Yuktobania found herself in. I even heard rumors of Yuke pilots fighting in the Estovakian civil war.

"Mother goose one, is everything alright?" Nagase asked.

We all jumped at the sound of gunshots over the radio; a stupid response, considering we were enaged in a knife fight with the Yuktobanian air-force.

"What the hell's going on over there?" I asked.

"This is mother goose one. The Captain's been shot." the cargo said.

"What?" Chopper asked.

"There was a spy in the crew. And we've lost two engines."

"Anything else?" I asked, accelerating to the cago plane.

"The captain's dead and the co-pilot was wounded by a stray bullet."

"So who's flying that thing?" Grimm asked.

"Tommy. But he's a secretary. He's never piloted a plane before."

"Prepare for an emergency landing." Nagasae said.

Nagase walked them thru the landing procedures, while me and Grimm cleared the skies of enemy aircraft. I was about to ask the 'cargo' several questions, but Chopper spoke up first.

"Land? The ground's filled with windmills." Chopper said.

"Mother goose one, i'll clear a path for you." I said, lining up. I fired my guns at the windmills, making sure there were as few obstacles as possible.

"Mother goose one, begin landing." Nagase said.

We all watched as the transport crash-landed onto the ground. With our mission a success, Nagase asked a question.

"The bird of peace. Did you intent for it to be used in this war? Do you know what i mean?" Nagase asked.

"I do." mr. Cargo said.

"Sir, you honestly believe that anyone will take your pleas for peace seriously? You broke the treaty by attempting to arm the Arkbird. Do you have a serious solution to end the war?" I asked.

"I was heading to north point for peace talks. Communication is vital." he said.

"Claiming for peace while attempting to negotiate from a weak position, following the Arkbird disaster. No offense, but your words hold as much weight as paper. If i were the Yukes, i'd try and gather as much territory as possible before settling for peace." I said, cutting off the comms.

"I'm out of fuel." Chopper said.

Another squadron appeared, brandishing Osean IFFs.

"This is the 8492 squadron. We observed the emergency landing on our radar. You can leave the rest to us. We'll provide support until the transport plane's crew is rescued." the lead pilot said.

"Roger that, 8492. Take care of them." Nagase said, following me as we turned away from the crash site.

_2 hours later_

Harling looked up, seeing the 8492 squadron with Osean choppers approaching. One of them landed, and soldiers came out.

"Thanks for the rescue." Harling said, extending his hand out to the lead soldier.

The soldier made hand gestures to his buddies. They raised their rifles, and fired at Harling's aid and the co-pilot.

"What the hell's going on?!" Harling exclaimed, as he was knocked onto the ground.

The soldiers didn't say anything, but gagged him and shoved him in the helicopter. All of them were wearing gas masks or balaclavas to hide themselves.

_What's going on here?_

At Mcneally air-force base, Nagase glumly looked at her book lost in thought.

"Without the Arkbird, Yuktobania outguns us. The captain is right. Peace talks is only a pipe dream." She softly said, looking close to tears.

"So you're saying we don't know how long the war will drag on?" Genette asked.

The only sound in the room, was the news broadcast of another successful Yuke offensive.


	10. Chapter 10

Ch 10

Sitting in the briefing room with the rest of the pilots, the mood was bleak. No-one ever thought that Osea would be losing this war. And here it was.

"Our fleet is attempting a counter attack against the Yuktobanian navy running supplies to their forces on the mainland. Your mission is to defend against the Yuktobanian forces. They'll most likely deploy their super-sub. If they do, destroying the sub takes full priority. That is all." the briefer said.

Heading to my Su-37, i was armed with air-to-air missiles and saw the rest of the squadron also armed with air-to-air missiles.

"Follow me. We're heading to the Ceres Ocean."

The flight was silent, as we headed to the Osean fleet. We were putting a lot of eggs into one basket, which had the possibility of success or failure.

"Blaze, can you see the fleet?" Nagase asked.

"I see it. Looks like we have a carrier, 4 destroyers and 2 cruisers. Impressive, considering that the whole fleet is spread thin. Sun Tzu was right." I said.

"What was he right about?" Chopper asked.

"He said not to defend everything at once, or you will lose everything." I said.

"Wings of sand island, this is the aircraft carrier Nixon. We're to launch an offensive and destroy their shipping lanes. Take out their aircraft while we engage their surface vessels." the captain said.

"Understood." I said. I watched as the CAP was launched and joined us to help defend the fleet. While we were doing so, Hornets with anti-ship missiles were launched to seek and destroy the Yuke fleet. But i wouldn't put it past the Yuktobanians to pull the wool over our eyes.

"Contact! Enemy bombers sighted approaching off the port side. Intercept and destroy." the AWACs said.

Pointing my nose to the enemy forces, I closed in and eyed the enemy aircraft.

"That bomber is ancient. Tu-22M's with Tu-16s and 95s." I said.

"You know your aircraft well." Nagase said, always by my side.

Me and Nagase swung around and fired upon the enemy planes, destroying them in one go. A pair of their Tu-22M's blew past us at mach 2, racing towards the fleet.

"What are they doing?" Nagase asked, chasing them down.

"Bum-rushing the fleet. Fire your missiles close enough, and there's a chance they can avoid being shot down." I informed.

"These pilots are suicidal! Why try such a stupid thing?" Nagase asked.

"Nagase, that's one thing we can agree upon. Unless their missiles are short range." I said.

"Nice one, captain. Always one to snatch paranoia from the jaws of sanity." Nagase said, as she chased one of the bombers away.

"Captain, we're seeing a fleet of Yuke vessels approaching us. Looks like…" Grimm started.

"Grimm, what kind of opposition are we seeing?" I asked, shooting down another Tu-95.

"3 Kirov class battlecruisers, 1 battleship, and 5 destroyers." Grimm said.

"The Kirov alone outguns any surface vessel we have. Destroy that fleet. The Yukes might deploy the super sub." I said.

"Burst missile launched!" the AWACs shouted.

"All pilots, climb above 5000 feet!" I shouted, and pivoted upwards. There was no way we could win this battle.

The missile detonated, killing the pilots that didn't get up in time, along with the carrier. The remaining Osean ships, now finding themselves hopelessly outgunned, were butchered by the Yuke warships.

"AWACs, did you pick up anything about that sub?" I asked.

"I tracked the trajectory of the missile. The sub fired the missile a long way from here." Thunderhead said.

Once again, we were forced to retreat with our tail between our legs. The Yuktobanians won another battle.

I stood in front of the base commander, giving him the full report.

"Sorry to hear that, Captain. Right now, our priority should be hunting down and destroying the subs." he said.

"I agree. But Osean brass wants to push the Yukes out of our territory." I said.

"Even if we do, it won't matter. The Yukes can flatten the land with those burst missiles. We can afford to lose Osea. We cannot afford to let those subs live." the commander said; it was a sentiment i agreed with.

In the break room, the mood was at an all time low.

"This is bullshit! The Yukes have those subs, and they're killing everything we throw at them!" Chopper ranted.

"I agree. And those subs can fire their missiles a long distance away. Brilliant. The Yukes made the hardware for the cold war, and now they're using it. A pity we're not using any flashy toys we developed during that time." I said.

The news reported on our losses in the ceres ocean, and that the super-sub was kicking our asses.

"This just in. Osea launched a second naval offensive. Both sides are claiming victory. The Oseans managed to sink several transports, but the Yuktobanians have destroyed a considerable number of warships, including an aircraft carrier. We have footage of that moment. Viewer discretion is advised."

On the TV, we watched as a Tu-16 and Tu-95 crashed into the carrier and a loud and violent explosion was seen. The carrier itself seemed to be engulfed in the inferno. When the flames died down, the carrier sank beneath the seas.

"Why would they do that? Crash into an enemy ship?" Nagase asked.

"Maybe their planes were damaged, and decided to take out a juicy target. And if that's not the case, my hat is off to them." I said.

"Your hat is off to them?" Nagase asked.

"Those men chose to commit a kamikaze run, sacrifice less than half a dozen pilots to destroy a carrier that holds thousands of sailors and soldiers. Combat discipline, Nagase. No wonder they're winning." I said.

…

_Unknown location, Osea_

Ashley picked up the phone, talking with someone else.

"The president is in Steir castle, Nord Belka. The war is going as planned." he said.

"Good. The Yuktobanians are progressing at a steady pace. But if they progress too fast, the super-sub must be destroyed." the other man said.

"I agree. This war must last as long as possible. Right now, Yuktobania is having the upper hand. We'll monitor the situation. Once the Yukes have grabbed enough territory and killed enough Oseans, then we'll hand over intel about the scinfaxi to the Oseans." Ashley said.

"Good. The Hrimfaxi will remain secret."

…

_'Get out our town you fascist pigs!'_

_'Do you really hate us?'_

I woke with a heavy feeling in my gut. Lowering my head to massage my eyes, i felt tears threatening to come out.

"Captain, you awake?" Nagase asked.

"Yeah. I'm awake." I said, blinking my eyes open. I did a double take upon seeing the clock; 0500 hours. I sure as hell didn't feel like i slept that long. Nagase sat next to me, and i saw some bags under her eyes. This war was taking a toll on the squadron, and we needed some down time.

"Can't sleep, Nagase?" I asked.

"No. I can't sleep. Ever since the Yukes deployed that sub of theirs, i have fucking nightmares over and over. I never wanted to fight in this damn war." Nagase softly said.

"I know. Second war i'm in, and i thought Belka gave me nightmares." I said, noticing when Nagase moved herself under the covers next to me.

"So, how do you do it? How do you handle all the shit you saw?" she asked.

"You learn to live with it. Make peace with it, and try not to think about it. Will it go away, eventually. For good, no way in hell. The things we'll see will stay with us for the rest of our lives. But it helps to have someone to talk to. Sometimes the best thing is to lay it all out, cards on the table." I said.

"Thanks, Levi. For everything." Nagase said, kissing me. At this moment, i couldn't give a damn about regulations. We could die tomorrow. Why now enjoy ourselves?


	11. Chapter 11

Ch 11

"Yuktobanian forces have begun to destroy ship-yards and factories all along the western coast using surgical long range air attacks. The Osean forces have delayed the enemy forces, but it's only a matter of time until the Yukes pick up the momentum again."

I shut the TV off, not wanting to hear more bad news. It seemed the Yukes quickly gave up on gathering land, and returned to strategic attacks.

"If they have those super subs, why aren't they using those instead of regular bombers and cruise missiles?" Chopper asked.

"Ballistic missiles are expensive, and i'm guessing those subs are expensive as well. Besides, they'll most likely use those weapons to defend against our counter attacks. Kill enough soldiers, and the people will most likely sue for peace." I said.

"And in the meantime they're sending their bombers and fighters to attack our territory, while they can easily stop our attacks." Grimm said.

Nagase came with our orders, a look of shock on her face.

"What's wrong, Nagase?" I asked.

"We've been ordered to go to Oured." she said.

"The frontline is on the western front. Why the look of shock?" I asked.

"Because brass believes that the Yukes will attack the capital. And they'll most likely succeed." she said.

"You're right. Our fleets have been chewed up by those subs, and they're doing a damn good job of blowing up our factories and naval bases. If their end goal was to attack Oured, they planned this perfectly." I said.

New planes were shipped to us, in the form of F-15C's while i stayed with my Terminator. Old habits die hard. We headed to Oured, seeing entire squadrons of Osean aircraft heading to the west and south-west fronts.

"Blaze…" Nagase started.

"Not now. Lets see what's waiting for us." I said.

Upon landing at the air-force base, we were surprised to see Pops waiting for us.

"Pops! What are you doing here?" Chopper asked.

"I was transferred here, along with you guys. Blaze, the base commander wants to see you."

I entered the commander's office, surprised to see it was Hamilton.

"Nice to see you, sir." I said.

"Likewise, Captain. I've been reviewing your squadron's performance. Needless to say, the brass is impressed at your performance." he said.

"Impressed? That sub is kicking my squadron's ass every time we meet it." I said.

"Your squadron is the only one to come back fully intact after said engagements. Osea could use something like that." Hamilton said.

"I was told that Yuktobania could be attacking Oured anytime soon." I said.

"That is true. We don't know when they'll be attacking, but our analysts suggest it'll be soon. In the meantime, get some rest." Hamilton said.

"Sir, where would the attack come from?" I asked.

"Unknown, but it's most likely sand island." Hamilton said.

I left the office, and headed to meet my squadron.

"Guess who the base commander is." I said, dropping onto the couch like a sack of potatoes.

"Let me guess. Perrault." Nagase said.

"Nope. It's Hamilton. At least we got someone reasonable and competent." I said.

"So, what's our orders?" Chopper asked.

"For now, just stay put. Hamilton said that the Yukes will attack, most likely from Sand Island." I said.

"You're kidding!" Nagase said.

"I'm not." I said.

Night came, and the squadron was in their beds. Exhausted, i collapsed on my bed yet i was unable to sleep. All i could think about, was the upcoming Yuke attack.

"Come in." I said, hearing the door knocked on.

Nagase walked thru the door, and shushed me to stay quiet. She moved under the covers next to me and held me tight.

"Kei, any reason you're doing this?" I asked.

"It's the end of the world, Levi. And you've been distant as of late. Why?" Nagase asked.

"Something my trainer told me. Don't get too close to your fellow soldiers, especially those under your command. Of course, he cared for those under his command. It's a hell of a place to be in." I said.

"Who was your commander?" Nagase asked.

"Leopold Becker. He was Belkan, and immigrated to Osea long ago. He taught me everything i know. Hell, i taught him a few things as well." I said.

"What things?" Nagase asked.

"You may or may not have noticed, but i prefer close range dogfighting. Long-range shooting always has a risk of failure. You fire a-quarter to a-half of your missiles, and if they miss the target, you will be in serious trouble when they punch back. At close range fighting, you have a less chance of missing a shot. During close-range training, i crashed into him three times." I said noticing the look on Nagase's face.

"What? Were you and your teacher okay?" she asked.

"We were fine. Though our planes didn't make it." I said.

"You're crazy, you know that? Your training was hell, you survive the Belkan war, and now this. I don't know if i could stay as long as you did." she said.

"Well, it won't be long until i reach some limit. At the moment, all i can do is press forward." I answered.

We spent the next three weeks on constant patrol, keeping an eye out for enemy aircraft. A few times the Yukes have attacked, but only in small numbers, sending a dozen bombers at most. Unless those planes were carrying WMDs, it wouldn't be enough to destroy the city.

One night, i decided to talk to Nagase about my thoughts.

"Captain, is something on your mind?" she asked, massaging my shoulders.

"These attacks. Sporadic, and small in numbers. If the Yukes want to destroy Oured, they're doing a piss poor job of doing so." I said.

"Maskirovka. Jesus, were you born in Yuktobania? Maybe you've come to spy on us." Nagase laughed.

"I confess. I am a spy for Yuktobania, hence my skills in the cockpit." I said, playing with her.

"But still. You are right. These attacks are most likely a diversion. But from what? Where would the attacks come from?" she asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine. But Osea's a big country. They could attack anywhere, and we wouldn't even notice." I said.

"We have to draw the subs out into a confrontation." Nagase said.

"You're right. But it appears the Yukes have perfected their war machine. They launch powerful attacks, keeping our forces on the defensive. We can go and destroy the subs, but i'm betting those subs are well-defended. It'll require lots of manpower and equipment to use. And leave our territory undefended. But that's a good trade." I said.

"I don't agree with you, but it may be the only option we have left. Levi, how did it come to this?" Nagase asked.

"I don't know, Kei. I just don't know." I said.

"If we had the Arkbird…" Nagase said.

"But we fucking don't. So shove it. And even if we did, you honestly think the Yukes won't destroy it? As bad as things are, it could be worse. I've seen it, at the seven gates of Belka." I said.

"I guess you're right." Nagase said.

But our 'rest' period came to an end. My squadron was ordered to scramble immediately.

"Thunderhead, report!" I said, starting up the engines.

"Large number of Yuke bombers approaching! Intercept and destroy them!"

"Captain, what our are orders?" Nagase asked.

"Take out the Yukes, obviously. But where the hell are they?" I asked.

"Getting real-life data to you. The Yukes are coming at us with Tu-95 bombers." Thunderhead said.

"How many?" I asked.

"There's too many to tell. You'll have to down them all." Thunderhead said.

"Copy that. Wardag, intercept the bombers." I said.

We dove into the fray, firing everything we had. Once again, it seemed that the Yukes were close to their victory. If we could just prevent Oured from being destroyed…

"Any reason why the Yukes aren't deploying fighter escorts?" Nagase asked.

"Doesn't matter. We'll take out these bombers first." I said.

Getting on the tail of a Tu-95, readied a missile only for the tail gunner to open fire and nearly got me.

"Shit. The Yukes are crazy fuckers." I said, diving down and pulled up towards my enemy. I fired another missile into the bomb bay, watching the enemy be blown to pieces.

"Nice shot, Levi." Nagase said.

"This is the capital district air command. We're sending another squadron to help. ETA 2 minutes."

"Copy that. Wardog, reinforcements are on the way." Thunderhead said.

"Maybe we can pull a victory out of this. Had enough of losing." Chopper said.

"Yeah…" I muttered, scanning the skies ahead.

"Captain, what's wrong?" Nagase asked.

"Thunderhead, this must be the prelude to a much bigger attack. They have those subs, and plenty of MiGs. Have those reinforcements scout the airspace those bombers came from. Another wave will be coming." I warned.

"Blaze, you think we can destroy these bombers by ourselves?" Chopper asked.

"I'm sure of it. How many do we have left?" I asked.

"We have 22 bombers left. Keep fighting." Thunderhead said.

The reinforcements came, and i told them to scour the airspace the enemy came from. I was sure the Yukes were sending a second wave. Or worse, a ballistic missile strike.

"Wardog 1, this is Omega flight. There is no enemy aircraft. I repeat, there is no enemy aircraft."

"That's impossible. The Yukes have always sent wave after wave when it suits them. Why wouldn't attacking the capital…" I started, when a terrible thought occurred. Whenever we showed enough strength, the Yukes killed all forces present with their ballistic missiles.

"Nagase, the squadron is yours. Stay inside Oured airspace. Omega flight, climb to 5000 feet and stay there. I'm heading to you!"

I dove down to the deck and roared like a rocket just above the ocean. I was afraid that the Yukes were planning another strike.

"Blaze, you have not been authorized! Return to your squadron." Thunderhead said.

"Shove it!" I shouted.

Looking ahead, i was waiting for the Yukes to surprise me with an attack, but no such attack was coming.

"Wardog 1, what are your orders?" Omega 1 asked.

"Stay there. I'll act as bait." I said.

"Blaze, you're bingo fuel! Return to base." Thunderhead said.

Growling in anger, i was forced to head back to the air base. Omega flight and the rest of my squadron finished clearing the airspace. We finally secured a victory against the Yukes, but i didn't feel like celebrating.

"We did it!" Chopper exclaimed, shaking me with joy.

"Did what? Shoot down a couple dozen bombers, while the Yukes still have those subs?" I bitterly asked.

"Blaze, we've been on the defensive long enough. It's about time we get a victory." Nagase said.

"I can't believe you're this stupid, Nagase. You want a lasting victory? We destroy those subs, and turn the tide of the war." I said.

"Guys, you'll want to hear this." Pops said, turning on the TV.

_"Osean forces have repelled an enemy attack on the capital of Oured. However, large portions of Osea's industrial base in North Osea have been destroyed after a long fight with the Yuktobanian forces. Enemy bombers with fighter escorts have purposely crashed into the many factories, power plants, and industrial buildings. A ballistic missile strike has destroyed anything left standing. Without their main manufacturing base and supply of weapons, the war has turned against Osea."_

…

_Unknown location, Osea_

"Osea will lose this war in a matter of weeks! We need to turn the tide, and start killing the Yukes." Ashley said.

"Don't worry. We're sending you everything we have on the Scinfaxi. Including it's next refueling and rearming cycle." Micheal said.


	12. Chapter 12

Ch 12

Me and my pilots were brought into the briefing room, seeing Hamilton.

"Good morning. We've received intel about the Scinfaxi. It's due to be rearmed with new ballistic missiles. When that happens, we'll strike with everything we have." the briefer said.

"What kind of assets are we looking at?" I asked.

"You four plus a squadron of B-2 stealth bombers. I've asked for getting surface vessels, but our fleet is stretched thin at the moment. And even if we could spare the ships, they won't arrive in time. The sub is based far up north, near the north pole. The Yukes may or may not have a surface fleet escorting the sub, so be prepared for a lengthy fight. That is all." Hamilton said.

My pilots were itching for payback, wanting to kill the sub that plagued Osea for so long. Trading my missiles for bombs, i took the lead and we raced against the clock. The sooner we got that sub, the better.

"Wardog, head to the B-2's and stand by for further orders." Thunderhead said.

"It's about time brass is doing something right." Count said.

"Yeah. All it took was several hundred thousand casualties." I said.

The sight of 10 B-2's flying in formation was an awesome sight. For a brief moment, i felt we were invincible at the moment. Nothing could withstand a bombing run from a dozen long range bombers.

"Wardog squadron, this is Jaeger flight. We're ready to engage the enemy sub. Bastard's been a thorn in our side."

"Copy that, Jaeger flight. Stay at your present altitude. Do not attack unless i give the order." I said.

"Awaiting your command, Wardog."

I wouldn't be surprised if the Yukes end up destroying the bombers before we could use them. They had proven to be very crafty.

"Approaching Scinfaxi submarine. Stay below 1000 feet, and maintain radio silence." Thunderhead said.

"Copy that." I said.

Despite being in a warm cockpit, all i could feel was bitter cold. Looking ahead, i saw a glint reflecting towards us. I pointed my nose at the reflecting object, my curiosity piqued.

"Captain, they've seen us!" Nagase exclaimed. My radar rang mad, and a long range anti-air missile screamed towards us.

"Break, now!" I shouted, pulling up and dropping flares.

The missile detonated, resulting in a large explosion.

"What the hell was that?!" Nagase asked.

I didn't respond, but instead dived towards the enemy sub. Anti-air fire blanketed the skies, i looked down and saw one cruiser, 3 corvettes, and 2 frigates. All of them heavily armed. I ignored the enemy ships and focused on the prize. Pulling the trigger, i dropped two bombs onto the sub and watched as the sub began to dive away from us.

"The bastard's diving!" Chopper said.

That only left the surface fleet to deal with, and they were hungry for blood.

"Hug the water, and get in close!" I ordered, charging down a corvette. I fired one of my missiles at the bridge, destroying the ship in one blow. One by one, the Yuke vessels sank into the frozen waters. The cruiser put up a fight, but it too fell, at the cost of most of our munitions.

"Captain, any reason why the Yukes build their ship and planes like a tank?" Grimm asked.

"They're prepared for a bloody way. That's why. Jaeger flight, the sub has submerged. Once it emerges, attack with everything you have. We'll keep it busy in the meantime." I said.

"Scinfaxi launching burst missile!" Thunderhead exclaimed.

My pilots wasted no time in ascending to above 5000 feet. The warhead detonated, a sight we were very familiar with. I dove thru the explosion and fired upon the sub, causing more damage.

"Shit! Our ballast tanks damaged! We can't submerge."

"Jaeger flight commence bombing!" I ordered.

"Copy that. Jaeger 1, dropping!"

The whistling sound of bombs was heard, crashing against the waters and the sub. In a last ditch effort, the Scinfaxi fires more burst missiles upwards.

"Wardog, we got burst missiles incoming!" Jaeger 1 exclaimed.

"Once you drop your bombs, head back home. We're almost done here." I said.

The line went static, and the bombs still came down like steel rain. The sight was very impressive, and disturbing. Over 200 people wasted in the blink of an eye. I couldn't help but clench my hand into a tight fist. It was about time we butchered the Yuktobanians in return.

"The Scinfaxi is destroyed. I repeat, the Scinfaxi is destroyed. Lets get the hell out of here." I said.

Joining the bombers on the return trip, i couldn't help but shout in joy. The rest of the squadron also cheered as well, happy that the war had turned.

_North Belka_

"So, the Oseans have managed to destroy the Scinfaxi." Ashley said.

"Correct. The tide has turned. And there's something else." Micheal said.

"What is it?" Ashley asked.

"You'll never believe this. South Belka wants to rejoin Nord Belka. Take a look." Micheal said, turning on the tv.

_"After the attacks from Yuktobania, thousands of protestors have came out, demanding that South Belka be rejoined with North Belka. They feel that they'll be safer away from Osea."_

"For 15 years, we've planned this. And it's succeeding beyond our wildest expectations. If we can have the two Belka's join, Belka will take its rightful place on the world stage." Ashley said.

_Oured, Osea_

"I can't believe this. First, this war with Yuktobania. And now North Osea wants to secede." Grimm said.

"If South Belka wants to secede, they have every right to do so." I said.

"It looks like we'll have to give them want they want, or we could be at war with Belka and her allies, along with Yuktobania." Chopper said.

Genette lowered the book he was reading and headed to see Pops. Something about this was rubbing him the wrong way.

"Ah, Genette. What brings you here?" Pops asked.

"Have you heard of the most recent news?" Genette asked.

"I've heard. I don't blame the South Belkans. They were part of Osea when the Yukes bombed them. And now, they want to secede and return to the Fatherland. Their fears are warranted." Pops said.

"What do you mean?" Genette asked.

"That Yuke submarine was destroyed near the north pole. One of those subs could fire ballistic missiles and cause more destruction to South Belka." Pops said.

"Even if they reunite with Belka, why wouldn't Yuktobania cease attacking them?" Genette asked.

"Good question. Yuktobania is at war with Osea, not Belka. Maybe if they say they're part of Belka, Yuktobania won't attack a neutral power. I find that hard to believe. This will cripple us." Pops said.

"Pops, what are you talking about?" Genette asked.

"Follow me." Pops said. He and Genette headed to Levi's Su-37 and began to remove several pieces of metal. Pops grabbed a piece of metal and showed it to Genette.

"You know what this is?" Pops asked.

"I recognize it. Grunder industries. They supply us with weapons, or used to." Genette said.

"What you don't know, is that Grunder industries was formerly the South Belkan munitions factory. During the Belkan war, South Belka defected to Osea, tired of war. And now with the Yukes dropping cruise missiles on them, they want to return to Belka." Pops said.

"I get it. And if South Belka rejoins with Nord Belka, then we've lost our strongest industrial base." Genette said.

"Yep. And if the Osean president decides to hold South Belka, we could find ourselves fighting a two-front war, one we'll lose." Pops said.

Genette walked out of the hanger, leaving Pops alone.

"Thank god. What's the gray men trying to do? Is the 8492 behind these attacks?" Pops wondered to himself.

I couldn't sleep, so i stayed awake when Nagase came to me.

"Levi, come to bed." she whispered, not wanting to let anyone else know. She all but dragged me to her quarters and pushed me onto her bed. Nagase cuddled with me, but all i could do was stare at the ceiling with a thousand yard stare.

"Talk to me, Levi." she said.

"About what?" I asked.

"Anything. That fact that we turned the war around, that we have a chance. Just… i want to know if you feel." she said.

"I'm sorry. I am happy that we finally turned the tide, but it's for nought. South Belka will rejoin Nord Belka, or stay neutral. We're fighting the Yukes, so we can't afford to be mixed up with Belka. And with South Belka and Grunder Industries all but gone, we may not have turned the tide at all. Or maybe it's just the ramblings of an exhausted soldier." I said.

"Levi, i was wondering one thing." Nagase said.

"What is it?" i asked.

"We need some R&R, Levi. I was thinking of going to visit my family. They live in Central Osea." she said.

"Sounds nice. I'll talk to Hamilton, see if we can get something arranged." I said.

"Good. And i'd like you to come with me." she said, surprising me.

"You want to introduce me to your family?" I asked.

"Sure thing. I think you'll like them." she said.

"You want to introduce your cynical shell-shocked commander to your family?" I asked.

"Well, when you put it like that, it doesn't sound like a good idea." Nagase said.

"Sorry. Maybe some time behind the lines will do me some good." I said.


	13. Chapter 13

Ch 13

Why was I nervous? This wasn't the first time I'd done this. I was friends with Mihaly's children, and last I heard, he had a granddaughter.

"Don't worry, Levi. It'll be fine." Nagase said.

We arrived in front of a house and walked to the front door. Nagase knocked on the door, seeing her parents arrive with a young girl in tow.

"Kei. It's nice to see you again." her father said.

"Nice to see you too, dad. This is my friend, Levi Kruger." she said, motioning to me.

"Nice to meet you. Come in." the mother said, ushering me in.

I walked inside the house, observing my surroundings. It was a habit i had developed from months of hard fighting.

"So tell us, Levi. How did you and Kei meet?" her mother asked, as we sat down in the living room.

"I'm her superior officer. And for the record, this was her idea. Not mine." I said.

"Well, captain. I'm sure you and Kei have been through alot. Take some time off, make yourselves at home." her mother said.

Her parents headed to the kitchen to make some dinner, and I grabbed the remote.

"Really, captain?" Nagase admonished. I turned the tv on, and flipped thru the channels until i reached the news.

_Protestors have grown stronger in North Osea. President Harling has refused to comment. The president of Nord Belka is making a comment on the situation._

_"For the record, we wish to remain neutral in this conflict between Osea and Yuktobania. But if the people of South Belka wish to rejoin Nord Belka, than we shall welcome them with open arms. And if they wish to remain there own country, we shall respect that. And i shall give a warning to the President Harling, the 'prince of peace', who made his intentions clear in trying to arm the Arkbird. If you attempt to prevent the people of South Belka from getting their freedoms, than we Belkans will get it ourselves. Ava Belka!"_

Nagase only looked with shock.

"I never believed this would happen. Is happening." she said.

"Kei, you once told me that the people living in South Belka would call it South Belka instead of North Osea. It sounds that they're not happy being under Osean rule." I said.

"Under Osean rule?" Nagsae asked.

"Yes. If the people want to return to the north, they should be allowed to." I said.

"Captain, i can tell you that'll be a nightmare for many Oseans." Nagase said.

"Why? The war was 15 years ago. I doubt the Belkans will want to engage in another war." I said.

"I can't believe what i'm hearing. You fought in the Belkan war, saw the horrors! You should be terrified of another war with Belka." she said.

"Only if the Osean president doesn't allow South Belka to rejoin the fatherland. And speaking about the 'horror's' of the war, we committed our fair share of war crimes. Have you heard of the road of death?" I asked.

"Never heard of it." Nagse said.

"Not surprised. The Belkans were retreating north, and the Oseans dropped more incendiary bombs on that stretch of road than was dropped on Hoffnung. At first, we thought it was an armored column. After the war, we discovered it was fleeing refugees. Sure, Belka invaded us, but when we counter attacked, we killed far more Belkans than they killed Oseans. I'm not agreeing with the Belkans, i'm just stating the truth." I said.

"They dropped 7 nuclear bombs in the war!" Nagase said.

"On their own fucking soil! Had they dropped those bombs on Osean or Ustio soil, Osea would have retaliated in kind! The Belkans didn't want that! They created a radioactive barrier to keep their enemy at bay!" I retorted.

"12,000 people died! How can you ignore that?" Nagase asked.

"Over 50,000 people were burned alive when we took Hoffnung. The Belkans were doing everything they could in the name of survival. And you know what? We invaded all under the bullshit pretense of searching for nuclear weapons. We didn't find them at the border, so we said 'we didn't find them at the border, we'll search further inland.' Tell me, how is that different than an invasion?" I asked.

"Okay, you're right. Maybe Belka doesn't want a war. But I'm scared, Levi. What if we do fight Belka? You know how tough the Belkan air-force is." she said.

_'I know, because Belkan advisors trained Mihaly, and i have the suspicion I was also trained by some Belkans.'_

"I know. Hell, i wouldn't be surprised if we brought over some Belkan aces as compensation for 'war damages.' You know, I thought about living in Belka. They have a strong rich culture. Beautiful country." I said.

"But it's freezing cold up there. Captain, i will never understand you." Nagase said.

"Maybe they like the cold. They have good ice cream, Belkan Robbins. You should try it." I said.

"My cynical stone-faced commander has a sweet tooth." Nagase said.

"Guilty as charged." I said.

"If you two are done with your pillow talk, dinner's ready." the father said.

Taking our places at the dinner table, i listened to their conversations, answering any questions thrown at me.

"So, what were you two shouting about?" Ana, Nagase's little sister, asked.

Me and Kei winced in response. They heard our argument about Belka.

"Nothing you need to worry about, Ana. It's nothing." Nagase gently said to her sister.

"Still. You must be worried about Belka." Kei's mother said.

"I think it's nonsense. First, we won the war with Belka, earned those lands. And now they want to secede, return to Nord Belka. I mean, we protect those lands." Kei's father said.

"If you saw the reports and missions we've seen with our own eyes, you'd have a different views. The Yukes all but destroyed Grunder Industries in South Belka. Crashed fully loaded bombers into the largest factories." I said.

"Well, where was the air-force?" the mother asked.

"Being blasted to pieces by that sub, which we just destroyed a week ago." Kei said.

"Also, we destroyed that sub in the arctic. Now, that may seem far away, but for a submarine like the Scinfaxi, that's nothing. The South Belkans no longer feel safe under our protection, so they want to return to their home country. And before anyone here reacts, let me say this. That land was colonized by Belkans, not Oseans." I said.

"You make some good points, captain. Do you think that the president will try and hold North Osea?" Kei's mother asked.

"I hope to god he doesn't. But he already tried to arm the Arkbird, a clear violation of the peace treaty with Yuktobania. So who knows what he'll do. And if he does, we will end up in a war with Belka. We just turned the tide against Yuktobania. The last thing we need is to fight the Belkans." I said.

If only I knew…

"So, did you see any beautiful sights?" Ana asked.

"There's one I remember the most. It was after the war, i was assigned to a patrol in South Belka, just as Osea was taking over the territory." I said, ignoring the glares Nagase and her parents gave me.

"It was a solo night patrol. Looking down you saw a vast ocean of snow, as far as you could see. And above, was the aurural lights. Now that is a sight of beauty that i'll always cherish. For a moment… i felt as if God had taken me directly to heaven itself, if only for a short moment." I said.

"That's amazing, Levi. You should take me up one of these days." Nagase said.

"I'll see what I can do." I said.

After we finished our desert, i followed the family to the living room where we watched the vice president give a speech.

_"First, i must inform the people that our beloved President Harling is ill and won't be giving the speech."_ the VP said.

"How fucking convient." I said.

"Quiet." Kei said.

We watched as the VP made his speech, vowing to fight against the Yuktobanians at any cost. I could only smirk in disbelief. How would we fight without weapons?

_"About the Belkan problem. Belka has no claim to North Osea. That land belongs to us, and we will defend it to the end. If Belka wants to fight us, than bring it. We'll be ready for you."_ he said.

The news-people went over the speech, while the background showed the Yuktobanian attacks on South Belka and the many Grunder Industries.

"Well, it's official. We're at war with Belka. The people want to return to the north, and our president wants to hold the land by force, against their will i might add." I said.

"You honestly think it'll come to war?" Nagase's father asked.

"I'm afraid so." I grimly replied.

Night came, and i lay on the bed in the guest room. I attempted to sleep, but all i could remember was that recent fight with the Scinfaxi.

_Western Osea_

_Four days later_

Four Su-57s flew escort to Yuktobanian Tu-95s, as they bombed an Osean oil plant to rubble.

"Ofnir 1 to Ofnir squadron, proceed to sector 23. Engage upon sight."

The fighters flew at low altitude against the ground. They came upon a city and began to bomb and strafe the roads at will, killing anyone in their sights.

"Ofnir squadron, mission accomplished. Lets head home." Ofnir 1 said.

_South Belka/North Osea_

_Two weeks later_

"This is the 8492 leader. All 8492 planes, engage at will."

Five F-15 S/MTD Eagles fired missiles at any targets of opportunity, be it military bases or regular buildings. Communication buildings were high on the list of targets, preventing the Belkans from calling for help.

…

Me and my squadron returned to base after repelling another Yuke attack. It seemed that the Yuktobanians had lost their momentum when we destroyed their super sub.

"Wardog squadron, you'll want to see this." Hamilton said, bringing us into his office. He turned on the TV to the news, where the headline said 'Osea on the brink?'

_"Yuktobanian fighters have been seen firing upon Osean civilians, in what must be a last ditch attempt to strike at Osean soil as they retreat towards the ocean._

_Breaking news. Osean aircraft have been spotted firing upon Belkan citizens in North Osea. The South Belkans are now heading to Nord Belka, hoping to take up arms against their Osean enemies. After months of war, it seems that Osea is closer to defeat."_


End file.
